LAX Gets More Federal Funds for Runway Project
Los Angeles International Airport will receive an additional $29.5 million in federal funds for a runway safety project, bringing the total federal contribution to $68.3 million, officials announced Thursday.
The airport has had one of the worst runway safety problems in the nation for several years. The $250-million project will improve safety on the airfield’s south side, where most of the close calls between aircraft have occurred.
“Fixing the runway will make this a safer airport,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. “There are too many reports of aircraft coming too close together.”
He said the federal government would probably end up paying $100 million of the project’s cost.
The work will involve building a new taxiway between the two parallel runways on the airport’s south side and moving one of the 11,000-foot runways.
Work is expected to begin in July and be completed in late 2007, airport officials said.
The southernmost runway will be closed part of that time. Officials said, however, that the airport would operate efficiently using the other runway on the south side and two other runways on the north side.
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