Work on a modernized and upgraded terminal at Los Angeles International Airport officially started on Tuesday, September 16, 2014, with a groundbreaking ceremony inaugurating the LAX airport construction.
The $508 million Terminal 1 Modernization Project will extensively renovate and improve the aging Southwest Airlines terminal, originally built in the 1980s, according to MarketWatch.
Funding for the project is expected to come from airport fees rather than from city tax revenues.
When completed, the LAX airport construction will include multiple upgrades designed to improve the travel experiences of Southwest Airlines passengers. New and upgraded features will include:
- A new 12-lane security screening checkpoint designed to make security checks more efficient and reduce the size of lines and the amount of time customers must spend in line
- A fully automated inspection and sorting system for checked baggage
- An improved and upgraded arrival and baggage claim area
- More dining areas and retail stores for customer comfort and convenience
- Renovated office spaces and support areas
- Improved lounge-style seating at gates
- New passenger boarding bridges
A number of aesthetic improvements will also be made, including updates to the building’s facade. Access improvements will include the relocation of main terminal entrances to the west side of the building and a reconfiguration of street access to the terminal, intended to better control traffic flow and ease the significant congestion that has often occurred at the airport.
The LAX airport construction on Terminal 1 is expected to be finished in 2018. Use of the upgraded terminal will be phased in to ensure Southwest Airlines customers and airline employees are inconvenienced as little as possible.
The terminal will remain open during the construction project.
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