Airport traffic study delayed

Paul Clinton

CIVIC CENTER -- A highly anticipated study looking into additional

traffic generated by the proposed replacement airline terminal won’t be

ready until Dec. 20, city officials said.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” said Greg Herrmann, Burbank’s

principal transportation planner.

The $62,000 study, which was due Wednesday, will try to pinpoint the

amount of increased traffic caused by Burbank Airport’s proposed new

terminal and suggest ways to minimize congestion on city streets.

Los Angeles consultant Meyer, Mohaddes Associates needs extra time to

complete its analysis of 15 Los Angeles intersections added to the study

after the process began, Herrmann said. That work, along with other

changes in the scope of the work, will boost the cost of the study to

more than $75,000, he said.

All costs will be split by the city and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena

Airport Authority, a condition of the Aug. 4 Framework for Settlement

agreement.

Under the framework, the Airport Authority has agreed to pay for some

of the costs associated with improvements to Burbank streets. The two

sides have been eager to see the results of the study since it will

recommend what changes need to made and how much they might cost.

Burbank added the Los Angeles intersections to the study in early

October, shortly after the consultant was hired. The move was an olive

branch to Los Angeles officials who have criticized the framework for

failing to take into consideration the impacts of the new facility on

that city’s residents.

A representative from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has

been assigned to the study to keep Los Angeles in the loop, officials

said.

Meyer, Mohaddes also began a survey about two weeks ago of passengers

who use the current terminal. The survey will help gauge the amount of

traffic currently entering and leaving the airport, Herrmann said.

Since it’s still unclear how much traffic will be added to Burbank

streets if the airport builds the new terminal, the traffic study will

rely heavily on historical data, Herrmann said.

“You rely on the best estimates that you have and hope its close to

the mark,” he said.