Planning to take a flight out of or into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) July 25-28?
Please be advised that a 57-hour full closure of the intersection of Century and Aviation boulevards near LAX is scheduled from 9 p.m. Friday, July 25 to 6 a.m. Monday, July 28. The southbound direction only of Aviation Boulevard between Arbor Vitae and 104th Street also will be closed. The closure will allow demolition of an unused bridge so that construction of a light-rail station can begin.
While all four entrances into the LAX Central Terminal Area, including Century Boulevard, will remain open, the closure is expected to cause traffic delays in and around LAX. Century Boulevard is used by one-third of the nearly 80,000 vehicles that enter the terminal area daily. Traffic is especially busy during LAX’s daily peak periods from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Alternative Routes
Motorists on westbound Century Boulevard will be diverted to northbound La Cienega Boulevard to westbound Manchester Avenue to southbound Airport Boulevard to westbound Century Boulevard. Traffic leaving LAX on eastbound Century Boulevard will reverse this route. The distance of this diversion route is three miles.
California Highway Patrol officials recommend motorists heading to LAX on southbound I-405 San Diego Freeway should exit at Highway 90 Howard Hughes Parkway to Sepulveda Boulevard or at Manchester Boulevard to Sepulveda. Motorists on northbound I-405 should take westbound I-105 Century Freeway to northbound Sepulveda Boulevard. For a traffic diversion map, click here.
Weekend Travel Numbers
The weekend of July 25 through 28 is expected to be one of the busiest of the summer travel season. LAX expects more than 200,000 passengers a day that weekend -- 55,000 of them international -- on more than 1,700 flights. Nearly 20,000 airport-wide employees also are scheduled to work each weekend day.
Project Background
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will demolish a defunct rail overpass bridge near the intersection of Century and Aviation boulevards, one mile east of the primary entrance into LAX. Removing the bridge will allow construction of a new state-of-the-art, light-rail station for the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line, an 8.5-mile rail line that will connect the Metro Rail Green and Expo lines. The Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line is expected to begin 2019. For more info on the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project, click here.
Traffic will not return to normal after the bridge demolition is completed. For the next 16 months, one lane in each direction on Century Boulevard will be removed as the contractor builds infrastructure for the new elevated light-rail station at Aviation and Century. This will leave three traffic lanes in each direction. The public is advised to continue to allow extra time when traveling through this area.
Airport Commute Options
All modes of transportation, including public transit, using Century Boulevard are expected to encounter delays during the closure. To reduce the number of vehicles, passengers are advised to take public transportation to and from LAX, including:
- FlyAway® nonstop bus at Santa Monica, Union Station, Van Nuys, Westwood, and Metro Expo station at La Brea. Fares range from $8 to $10 one way, with children age five and under free. For more info, click here.
- Metro Rail Green Line with free LAX Shuttle G to and from airline terminals.
- Door-to-door vans (shuttle vans): Two shuttle van companies, Prime Time Shuttle and SuperShuttle, operate out of LAX and are authorized to serve all Southern California counties. For more info, click here.
- Long-distance vans: Long-distance, door-to-door van companies provide service to/from LAX and areas north and northwest of Los Angeles County, including Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. For more info, click here.
- Scheduled commercial buses: Long-distance commercial bus companies offer service to various parts of Los Angeles County including the Antelope Valley; Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; major Southern California tourist venues and resorts; and Bakersfield. For more info, click here.
- Municipal buses: The following public buses serve LAX and end at the LAX Bus Transit Center on 96th Street just east of Sepulveda Boulevard. Free “C” LAX shuttle buses take riders between the transit center and all airline terminals.
- Metro Bus Lines 102, 111, 117, and 232: Line 102 serves Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Stocker Street, and La Tijera Boulevard. Line 111 serves Florence Avenue and Arbor Vitae Street. Line 117 serves Century Boulevard. Line 232 serves Pacific Coast Highway and Sepulveda Boulevard south of LAX.
- Beach Cities Transit Line 109
- Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Line 3
- Culver City Bus Line 6
- Torrance Transit Line 8
During the weekend of July 15-27, the following bus lines will follow recommended detours through the construction area: Metro Bus Lines 117 and 40 owl service, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Line 3, Culver City Bus Line 3, and Beach Cities Transit Line 109. For more info, click here. To plan your trip on public transit, use the Trip Planner at www.metro.net.
- Taxis: Only authorized taxis with an official seal issued by City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation displayed on each vehicle are permitted in the airport. For more info, click here.
Real-Time Traffic Conditions
For those planning to drive to the airport, detours will be posted and LAX will be posting traffic updates on Twitter at @FlyLAXAirport and #CenturyCrunch. Before heading to LAX, check the real-time traffic map of the airport’s Central Terminal Area at www.LAXisHappening.com or click here.
Communicating with Passengers and Airport Workers
LAX staff is actively notifying airlines, concessionaires, federal agencies, ground transportation providers, and other tenants to allow them time to plan, as well as ask them to tell their customers, employees, and contractors about the closure and anticipated traffic congestion near the airport.
In partnership with the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, LAX staff is notifying international travelers, travel agents, tour operators, and hotels about the street closures and detours associated with the Metro bridge demolition so they can prepare and plan ahead.
LA Tourism will send out e-blasts to international receptive (inbound) tour operators and hotels with messages that they can share with international travelers before they arrive at LAX.
The messages, which will be translated into several languages, will inform international travelers to plan ahead, allow extra time, and regularly visit LAX’s website, follow LAX’s official Twitter feed @FlyLAXAirport and follow the hashtag #CenturyCrunch for real-time updates on traffic conditions in and around the airport.
LAX and L.A. Tourism are posting the messages on their respective widely-followed social media channels.
Emergency Plans
Public safety is LAX’s top priority. Personnel from airport operations; aircraft rescue and firefighting; and local and federal law enforcement agencies are jointly developing emergency-response plans that detail routes to be used by emergency personnel should a critical incident occur in or around the airport during the Century Crunch.