Why is LAX spending $1.5 Billion to make traffic worse?

Meet LAX's newest boondoggle: the ATMP Roadways Project. Get ready for years of construction delays, no improvement in travel time, and more pollution! Help us put a stop to this madness.

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LAX can't be trusted to deliver projects on time

Phase one (costing about $650M) needs to be completed by 2028 or else multiple major roads like Century and Sepulveda will see construction closures during the Olympics. The People Mover is 3 years late - what's going to be different this time?

This project is not designed around current travel needs

LAX passenger counts are down since before the pandemic (when this project was designed) and we're about to open the $3B People Mover that will move 30 million passengers each year. We should double down on alternatives to driving to LAX that actually reduce traffic and air pollution.

LAX admits "this project won't improve travel time"

Project Environmental documents show that the new lanes will induce more than 50,000 daily miles of driving, that's enough to go around the earth, twice! Just like when adding more lanes to the 405 made traffic worse. Buckle up for more miles of gridlock.

Learn more about this unnecessary project:

What is the ATMP Roadway Improvements Project? The ATMP Roadway Improvements Project is part of LAX’s Airfield & Terminal Modernization Project (ATMP). The project will add 5.8 lane miles to the road network of LAX, adding additional layers of overpasses, ramps, and lanes to the current intersections at Century and Sepulveda. The project will induce new traffic and air pollution. Other elements of the ATMP, such as Concourse 0 and Terminal 9, are put on hold currently due to LAX's reduced passenger counts since the pandemic.
Is this project really going to cost $1.5 billion? Yes, probably more. So far, contracts totalling about $600 million out of a total of $1.5 Billion have been awarded to FlatironDragados and joint venture partner Skanska according to this press release for phase one of the project.

However, this slide deck from LAWA shows an estimated cost of of $2.2 Billion for the ATMP Roadway project and another $1.5 Billion in "Other Access/Other Projects". If the LAX People Mover (APM) project is any guide, a $1.95B project can quickly turn into a $2.9B project which can quickly turn into a $3.34 billion project. LAWA is rushing headfirst into a project without a clear idea of costs.
Is this really going to make traffic worse? Yes. Most traffic at LAX comes from people being dropped off and picked up in the horseshoe, and while this project expands the throat to the airport it doesn't address the source of traffic! If these new roads are just to hold more idling cars, then LAX is building the most expensive cell phone waiting lot in the world.

Similar to how widening the 405 only made traffic worse, this project will 'induce demand' for more car trips. The CEQA document for the project declared both "GHG Generation Impact on Environment is Significant and Unavoidable." and "Induce Additional VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) is Significant and Unavoidable."

The FEIR Addendum looking at updated designs for the project estimates the following new vehicle travel:
  • Passengers: 40,921 new VMT
  • Induced Travel: 23,274 new VMT
  • Employees: 20,000 new VMT (but mitigated with carpooling programs)
That adds up to over 50,000 new vehicle miles traveled every single day. Enough to drive around the planet twice all localized at Sepulveda and Century.

LADOT also requested a traffic study which concluded that building the project would triple driver delay at Sepulveda Boulevard/96th Street and quadruple it at Sepulveda Boulevard/Century Boulevard. Meanwhile, no intersection saw any significant traffic reduction over a no build alternative. This project will absolutely result in more driving, worse air quality, and worse congestion.
What are the so-called pedestrian and bike improvements? This project contains multiple half baked "pedestrian and cyclist enhancements". These include a ped/bike path that leads from nowhere to nowhere along 96th street, removing the entire sidewalk on the west side of Sepulveda (as a "safety improvement"), and replacing what's currently a 80ft crosswalk at 96th with a winding multi-story pedestrian bridge that is more than a quarter mile long, creating a significant detour for anyone walking or in a wheelchair.
How else could we spend this funding? Since most congestion comes from the horseshoe at LAX, that is where we should be focusing. While it's impossible to build it wider, there are many ways to reduce the number of people arriving in it via private vehicle. $1.5B could be used to improve and subsidize Flyaway service, creating cheap and quick single ride trips from across the region.

It could also be used to improve or expand transit connections, for example, the entire K Line extension to Torrance is expected to cost around $2.2 Billion. Similarly, the entire Measure M contribution to extend the K Line north to Hollywood is $2.24 Billion. Instead of new roads that 'won't change travel time', we could be making generational investments in regional transportation.

Even simple solutions would make a big difference, current rail service comes every 30 minutes or later at night, making it unreliable for travelers and employees getting to the airport. We should be doubling down on the investments LAX is already making with the People Mover instead of sabotaging them.
What's the current status of the project? The ATMP Roadway Improvements project is currently in pre-construction and quickly accelerating. Recently FlatironDragados and joint venture partner Skanska have been awarded the construction contract by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) for the structures and utilities work.