FAA Celebrates Step In Renovation Project
The Federal Aviation Administration
and the City of Los Angeles marked the completion of a $333 million
renovation of the south airfield at Los Angeles International
Airport (LAX) at a ceremony held June 24. The renovation included
the construction of a new center taxiway that runs between the
airfield's two parallel runways.
The FAA says completion of the taxiway effectively eliminates
the main cause of serious runway incidents between runways 7L/25R
and 7R/25L.
Before the center taxiway was installed, aircraft that landed on
the outer runway would exit on high-speed taxiways that led
directly to the inner runway. A number of serious runway incursions
occurred when arriving aircraft maneuvered too close to -- or onto
-- the inner runway in front of departing aircraft.
The new center taxiway eliminates the direct path arriving
planes had to the inner runway, greatly reducing the chances of
conflict with departing aircraft. Now, arriving aircraft have to
significantly slow down and make sharp left turns onto the center
taxiway before turning again onto other taxiways that lead to the
gate areas.
Controllers began using completed stretches of the taxiway last
year, and since portions of the center taxiway began to be used
last August, there hasn't been a single incident on the south
airfield.
Phase one of the south airfield project began in June 2006, and
involved moving the southernmost runway 55 feet to the south in
order to make room for the center taxiway. That relocation was
completed in April 2007, when construction on the center taxiway
began. FAA contributed nearly $100 million in grants to support the
renovation project.
Several other runway safety improvement programs are underway at
LAX, including the installation of runway status lights and ASDE-X.
Under the runway status lights program, a series of red lights are
embedded in the runway pavement to warn pilots if it is unsafe to
cross or enter a runway. ASDE-X provides controllers with ground
surveillance data collected from a variety of sources, including
traditional radar, ADS-B, and aircraft transponders. Both systems
are expected to be operational next year.
"Each of these upgrades adds a layer of safety that benefits
every one of the 61 million-plus passengers who fly through here
each year," stated Wes Timmons, FAA's Director of Runway Safety.
"Taken together, these upgrades will go a long way in making this
safe airport even safer."