LAX south runway reopens after realignment
Los Angeles International Airport, one of the nation's busiest passenger and air cargo centers, wrapped up a $250 million renovation project Monday, opening the newly realigned south runway to air traffic.
The nine month project relocated the 11,000-foot-long, 200-foot-wide runway 55 feet to the south in an effort to reduce the number of runway incursions, or aircraft “near misses” at LAX. Serving more than 60 million passengers a year as well as being one of the busiest air cargo centers in the nation, LAX has experienced several dozen incursions over the past several years, one of the highest rates of any airport in the nation.
Experts have said that the narrow space between the two parallel main runways on the southern side of the airport is a main contributor to the problem. The new layout will allow the construction of longer taxiways between the two southern runways that provide a space for the planes to wait before moving to the terminal facilities. The new taxiways are expected to be completed in about a year and a half.
The new configuration is also expected to cut plane idling time on the tarmac, and allow for accommodation of the newest generation of super-sized passenger planes such as the Airbus A380, which visited LAX for the first time last month.
The airport is also moving forward with other construction projects, including an overhaul of the international terminal, an upgrade to the north runway, and repairs to the airport's iconic 1960s-era Encounters Restaurant, which shed a huge panel of plaster last month and was closed to patrons.
