At LAX, construction continues for the concrete columns which will support a new automated people mover system which will connect the Central Terminal Area (CTA) with ground transportation hubs located east of the airport.

“With the first columns rising above the Central Terminal Area, we can see a reimagined LAX taking shape,” said Justin Erbacci, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) in a statement. “Now that we have gone vertical with our construction, we can experience that our transformation is underway, and we are excited to see the progress each and every day.”

Three stations in the CTA will be connected to terminals and parking garages through a series of pedestrian bridges.  From there, the 2.25-mile monorail-like system will snake along an elevated guideway with two stops at new intermodal transportation facilities and an eastern terminus at a consolidated rental car facility.

The system will also offer a connection to a $500-million light rail transit hub planned at the intersection of Aviation Boulevard and Arbor Vitae Street, which will be served by Metro's C (Green) and Crenshaw/LAX Lines, in addition to various bus lines.

The automated people mover, the centerpiece of LAX landside access modernization project, will operate nine trains in four-car sets containing up to 200 passengers.  Trains will run at two-minute intervals, with an end-to-end travel time of 10 minutes.

Completion of the project is anticipated in 2023.

Though construction is ongoing, LAWA is already considering a minor tweak to the people mover system.  According to an environmental study released last year, LAX could add up to 23 new passenger gates through the construction of an expansion of Terminal 1 and the construction of a new terminal on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard.  The new terminal would be connected to the CTA and ground transportation facilities through the construction of an infill stations on the people mover.