$17.3 Million Project To Overhaul LAX Runway, 2 Taxiways Begins Today
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — LAX began overhauling a runway and two taxiways on the south side of the airport Friday, a $17.3 million project that is expected to take a little over two months.
Runway 7R/25L will have to be temporarily closed during the project, which started Friday and involves the removal and replacement of about 6,000 feet of asphalt along Taxiways H6 and H7. The work will also include the installation of new, energy-efficient LED runway centerline lights and replace runway concrete approach slabs at the bridge over Sepulveda Boulevard.
The work is not expected to have a noticeable impact on passengers or affect noise levels or overnight over-ocean operations, according to LAX officials, who said the reduced air traffic caused by the pandemic was an opportunity to complete repairs and airfield improvements.
"The replacement of the asphalt on Runway 7R/25L is an example of how we are investing in the long-term health of our airport and completing work that would have been much more disruptive if done when we were operating at full capacity," Bernardo Gogna, chief development officer of Los Angeles World Airports, said in a statement.
The new wearing surface is expected to last about a decade.
Runway 7R/25L is usually used for arriving flights. LAX officials say the runway that runs alongside it, which happens to be closer to the terminal buildings and is usually used for departures, will handle both departures and arrivals during the construction project. Some arrivals will also be moved to the north runway complex.
Sully-Miller Contracting Co. is doing the work on the $17.37 million project, which is expected to be completed in May.
