Here's a look at the planned refresh of LAX's central terminal area

A presentation to the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission offers a look at plans to refresh the common areas of the oft-maligned LAX central terminal area in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The project - which comes from a team that includes construction firm Hensel Phelps, architecture firm Krueck Sexton Partners, and landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA - calls for improvements to roughly 1.2 miles of roadway within the ground-level arrivals curbside of the airport. The project would implement new lighting, passenger loading zones, and enhanced crosswalks, among other improvements, to make for a more appealing scene for passengers landing at LAX. Likewise, over 3.2 acres of new landscaping is planned within the airport, including new trees and planting along One World Way, surrounding the Theme Building, and in proximity to the Tom Bradley International terminal.

"Since its completion ahead of the 1984 LA Olympics, the CTA Curbside has not been comprehensively renovated: lighting is poor and outdated, overhead signage bulky and blocking daylight, and surfaces are aged and dirty," states a narrative to the Commission. "Additionally, curbside passenger loading zones for people with disabilities currently don't meet federal ADA requirements. Improvements include epoxy coat over the island and sidewalks adjacent to the terminals, adding benches at island passenger pick-up, an increased number of passenger loading zones. The underside of Upper World Way will no longer have ceilings and be painted white, with new lighting over the sidewalks, crosswalks, and islands."

The design narrative also notes that the original tropical aesthetic of the central terminal area's landscape palette is inappropriate to Southern California's non-tropical climate. The revised scheme opts for plants with lower water usage which are more likely to thrive in the arrivals level. 

Special treatment is being given to the arrivals level adjacent to the International Terminal, where new signage and greenery would line existing parking structures and access points to the airport people mover above. Likewise, new landscaping and gathering areas are shown as replacing parking lots surrounding the iconic Theme Building.

"The project seeks to provide a memorable moment for the upcoming Olympics as LAX will be the first impression of LAX culture for many," reads the narrative. "This project, however, will last beyond 2028 and provide a positive moment for the public into the future."

A staff report to the Board of Airport Commissioners has indicated that the improvements are to be completed by 2027.

The project is merely the latest in a long-running series of improvements to the LAX property, where a $30-billion capital improvements program has revamped terminals (including an upcoming Corgan-led remodel of Terminal 5) and added new landside transportation infrastructure - most notably the people mover and several new ground transportation hubs. Early work is also beginning for a project which will shift how vehicular traffic accesses the central terminal area from Sepulveda Boulevard, with the recent relocation of the "LAX" sign that has long greeted motorists.

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• LAX (Urbanize LA)