The imminent removal of a pedestrian bridge connecting Terminal 6 to Parking Structure 6 will kick off a new phase of the multibillion-dollar transformation of Los Angeles International Airport, officials said Wednesday.
The demolition will require lane closures beginning Sunday and continuing through May 17, according to Los Angeles World Airports. The bridge must be demolished so construction can begin on a new terminal core, which will contain the elevators and escalators needed to reach the walkway to a planned Automated People Mover.
The actual removal of the bridge structure will occur overnight, from 2 to 3:30 a.m. on May 16 and May 17, and necessitate full closures of the upper and lower levels, according to LAWA.
Traffic control associated with the full closure will begin as early as 12:30 a.m., and vehicles on the Upper/Departures Level will be detoured through Parking Structure 4 to the Lower/Arrivals Level. All vehicles will then use Center Way to exit the airport.
"While we always work to minimize the impacts of construction on our guests and their ability to navigate the airport, to safely remove a bridge, a full closure of our roadway is required,'' said Keith Wilschetz, deputy executive director of Operations and Emergency Management. "The 90-minute, early morning closures have been scheduled during a time when we have the fewest people at the airport, but we are asking anyone planning to be at the airport the mornings of the demolition to please plan ahead."
Deborah Flint, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, said: "The overnight removal of a main pedestrian bridge is a milestone in our LAX transformation that takes us one step closer to realizing the vision of a world-class airport in Los Angeles. Engineering a demolition of this magnitude while still keeping the airport open for business demonstrates our team's commitment to innovative construction approaches that maintain the highest levels of safety and minimize the impact on our guests."
Additional closures will be associated with the construction, and more information is available at flyLAX.com.
