[Image credit: L.A. Times]
Last night, city and airport officials revealed the latest iteration of the LAX modernization plan. Because lawsuit-happy nearby residents, who apparently “forgot” that they were living next to a major airport when they moved in, have all but squelched any plans for airport expansions or renovations, the new plan focuses on easing automobile gridlock entering and exiting the airport. The plan includes eight possibilities for dealing with traffic congestion arising from the proposed remote check-in faciltiy. Among the proposals are an elevated roadway above Century Boulevard and two under-runway tunnels for Sepulveda Boulevard.
Mayor Villaraigosa scrapped Hahn’s plan because critics asserted that the process did not include enough community input. The current plan is the third attempt in 12 years to devise something that the NIMBYs can swallow. They, of course, cannot, and some, such as the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, have started to react before the plan was even revealed.
Officials plan to reveal the next piece of the plan, which includes runway improvements, in September. If nothing else, this must be an exercise that they are becoming quite adept at. Opposing nearby residents plan to deliver harangues to airport planners as they speed by in their cars on their way to catch their flights to Tahiti.
· Proposals to Ease Gridlock at LAX to Be Unveiled [L.A. Times]