LAX People Mover Project Elevated Guideway Moves Forward with First Concrete Placement

Flatiron is proud to be part of the team creating the Automated People Mover at Los Angeles International Airport. The September 11 placement of concrete for the first segment of the elevated guideway marks an important milestone in this innovative project. This news release was issued by the project owner, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA).

Approximately 1,000 yards of concrete was placed near the future Intermodal Transportation Facility-West station

(Los Angeles) This past weekend, concrete was placed for the first segment of the 2.25 mile elevated guideway of the Automated People Mover (APM) project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Work on the guideway segment, which is located due west of the future Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF)-West station near 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue, was enabled by the prior erection of falsework and assembly of formwork into which the reinforcement bar and concrete was placed.

“Our vision for LAX is taking shape and the changing landscape serves as a reminder that our future remains bright,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “We are reimagining every step of the airport journey, and now can start to see how our Automated People Mover train will provide an exciting new way for our guests and employees to get to and from LAX.”

The 10-hour concrete placement began Friday, Sept. 11 and was completed Saturday, Sept. 12. Construction of a typical guideway span follows foundation work and the subsequent construction of the guideway columns. Approximately 1,000 cubic yards of concrete was used in the construction of the guideway deck for this segment. An estimated 72,000 cubic yards of concrete will be used to construct the entire guideway, which includes the foundation piles, columns, guideway deck and concrete tracks. The APM guideway will be constructed span by span, with an average length of 85 feet for each of 93 total spans. That is enough concrete to cover 33 NFL football fields with 12 inches of concrete.

Once the concrete cures to prescribed strength, the formwork and falsework are stripped and the guideway span is revealed. As segments of guideway are constructed, work on the system’s concrete tracks will begin. Construction of the guideway deck for the entire APM system will require approximately 304 major concrete placements.

“Concrete placement for the first segment of guideway represents the latest achievement in a series of significant critical construction milestones for our team,” said Sharon Gookin, Project Director at LINXS Constructors. “It is exciting to see our team’s hard work and effort has come together in a visually demonstrative way.”

Once the guideway is in place at the sites of the future APM stations, steel erection for the stations can begin.

A view of the guideway as the tracks converge (l); A view of the completed concrete placement (r).
The APM’s electric train system that will transport travelers in and out of the LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA) is the centerpiece of LAWA’s Landside Access Modernization Program. The APM will feature six stations: three stations inside the CTA, which connect to the terminals via elevated pedestrian walkways, and three stations outside the CTA, which will connect to new off-site parking facilities, regional light rail transportation and a Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility. Scheduled to open for passenger service in 2023, the APM is expected to relieve congestion within the CTA and in turn the surrounding thoroughfares, thereby reducing emissions and vehicle miles traveled.

For more information about the APM project, including fact sheets, renderings and construction impact notices, and to subscribe to receive email updates, visit FlyLAX.com/ConnectingLAX.

To learn more about LAX’s modernization efforts, visit FlyLAX.com/ConnectingLAX.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the third-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States in 2019, is in the midst of a $14.3-billion capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and a 12- to 15-gate Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) addition to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.

LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airport Councils International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the “Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience” in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of “The World’s Best Airports for Business Travelers” (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request

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