Inside the Central Terminal Area (CTA), Automated People Mover (APM) station construction continues to advance as the guideway begins to come to life. Recent milestones include:

• Completion of falsework and formwork for the guideway at the East CTA station.
• Installation of the reinforcement bar for the guideway at the East CTA station underway.
• Advancement of column construction and falsework erection on the guideway segment that will connect the Center CTA and East CTA stations.
• Column construction at the Center CTA station.
• Advancement of underground utility and foundation work at the West CTA station.
• Assembly of two tower cranes now at West CTA station complete

Outside the CTA, station construction continues as the guideway segments at and approaching the Intermodal Transportation Facility-West (ITF-West) move into a new stage of construction. Recent milestones include:

• Completion of the concrete support structure for the circulation level as well as the columns supporting the platform level at the ITF-West station.
• Commencement of work on the concrete support structure that will support the ITF-East station’s circulation level.
• Erection of falsework moving south from 96^th Street across 98^th Street as the guideway approaches Century Boulevard. As falsework is erected, formwork construction and the installation of reinforcement bar closely follows in preparation for guideway concrete.
• Start of guideway concrete pours near the ITF-West station.
• Advancement of column construction and falsework erection for the guideway segment that will cross Airport Boulevard.

The APM system's Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) progress includes:

• Completion of the MSF main building steel frame.
• Work on the exterior walls and roof underway.
• Near completion of the train wash facility, concrete tracks and walkways at the MSF site.

Later this fall, falsework erection for the CTA Center station as well as the surrounding guideway segments will begin, and the team will start placing concrete for the guideway at the East CTA station. Demolition of two pedestrian bridges will clear the way for the terminal vertical core projects and APM pedestrian bridges.

Outside the CTA, utility relocations on 96^th Street will continue with the construction of a new storm drain. The guideway concrete pours that began on Sept. 11 near the ITF-West station will move south across 96^th and 98^th streets as the guideway approaches Century Boulevard. Falsework erection will continue for the guideway segment east of the ITF-West station, and will soon span Airport Boulevard.

LAX ConRAC Partners completed several major markers this summer:

• June activities included the first suspended slab pours for the second level of the Quick Turn Around (QTA) building, the first slab-on-grade (SOG) pours for the Ready Return/Idle Storage (RR/IS) building and the start of work on site utilities.
• In July, the first suspended slab pours for the second level of the RR/IS building took place in addition to construction beginning on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) building.
• In August, some notable work occurred at the QTA with the first suspended slabs pours for the third level and the final SOG pour. The Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) crews began construction of walls for the interior rooms and perimeter stair shafts.

Things will continue to move quickly this fall at the construction site of the future ConRAC facility, with even more noteworthy construction work, including:

• Completion of all SOG for the RR/IS
• First suspended slab for the roof deck of the QTA
• First suspended slab for the third level of the RR/IS
• Starting the foundations on the IS side of the RR/IS building (east side)
• Continuation of the LADWP building construction
• Continuation of underground site utilities construction
• Base construction for tower cranes 5, 6 and 7 

Over the last three months, concrete pours continued on the upper level decks with final pour for the third level deck taking place on Aug. 31, which marked 75% completion of the concrete work for the four-story structure. Other key work included:

• The fourth floor concrete pours are well underway
• Work to install the main power source and internet for the building is ongoing
• The first elevator activity commenced in August

 As we head toward the end of 2020 and closer to substantial completion of the project, key work over the next three months will include:

• Final deck pour, or topping out, on the fourth level of the facility
• Installation of escalators
• Completion of the cantilever walkway on the south side of the building
• Installation of the elevators 
• The start of construction of 94th Street and the fire lane surrounding the project 
• Completion of the new LADWP yard
• Interior painting and finishes

On Sept. 3, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) approved the selection of Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc. as the Design-Builder for the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Roadways, Utilities and Enabling (RUE) project. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the contract at the Sept. 23 meeting. RUE will be responsible for several key individual projects and enabling work directly related to the Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP).

The five-year, $334.9 million contract will provide for the next phase of enabling projects for the LAMP, focusing on high-priority projects necessary to support the APM, ConRAC facility and ITF-West. The first phase of work, the LAWA Utility and LAMP Enabling Project (LULEP), wrapped up in May after completion of 38 various projects to support the LAMP.

 

The RUE project includes 16 different projects. The highlight is the 98th Street extension, which will extend that roadway from where it currently ends at Bellanca Avenue to the 405 Freeway, where improvements to the southbound freeway on- and off-ramps will also be completed. RUE also includes new wayfinding signage, which will be pivotal in helping travelers navigate the new LAX landscape once the LAMP is completed.

LAWA is creating opportunities for the local community and local and minority owned businesses to help build the future of LAX. Both the APM and ConRAC contracts have significant inclusivity and workforce development requirements, and we are proud to see our developers meeting these standards. 

APM Project
Outreach activities aimed at local and small businesses and certified firms included a Cash Management workshop in partnership with Merriwether and Williams Insurance Services for the LINXS Training Institute's Small Business Mentor Protégé program, matchmaking events, and participation in various other meetings and business showcases with minority, veterans and women's organizations.

 

Currently there are 144 certified firms contracted on the APM project, including Small Business Enterprise, Local Business Enterprise, Local Small Business Enterprise and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise firms.

 

As an extension of its continued partnership with Compton YouthBuild, the LINXS team presented at the Mentorship Advisory Board meeting, providing information about the various pre-apprenticeship programs opportunities for students looking to enter the construction trades. LINXS was also the Signature Sponsor for Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce Education Fund and Foundation’s Virtual Scholarship Award Presentation and presented 10 scholarships to minority students interested in construction or engineering. 

 

On Oct. 24, 2020, LINXS will host its third annual Youth Engagement Summit. This year, the Summit will be held using a virtual experience designed specifically for middle school and high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

ConRAC Project

LAX ConRAC Partners (LAXCP) continues its commitment to workforce development. More than a third of the hours worked on the ConRAC project come from local hires. Through sponsorship, LAXCP has assisted 56 local residents in finding a new construction career since the start of the project. Of these new careers, 24 have come from local apprenticeship readiness programs. Including 10 coming from the HireLAX Apprentice Readiness Program (ARP) created by Los Angeles World Airports in partnership with Los Angeles Southwest College and the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. So far, LAXCP has paid more than $10.7 million to Local Workers, including Fringe Benefits. 

 

LAXCP remains dedicated to creating opportunities for Los Angeles’ Small Business Enterprise, Local Business Enterprise, Local Small Business Enterprise, and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise firms (XBE). To date, LAXCP has awarded 110 certified construction XBE contracts of which $32 million has been paid to Small Business Enterprises, $47 million to Local Business Enterprises, $11.3 million to Local Small Business Enterprises, and $11 million to Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprises. Additionally, LAXCP has awarded 25 Design XBE contracts, of which, $2.8 million has been paid out to Small Business Enterprises, $17 million to Local Business Enterprises, $1.5 million to Local Small Business Enterprises, and $731,000 to Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprises.

 

LAXCP’s investment in business and workforce development will remain an important objective throughout the ConRAC Facility construction process.  

Javier Avila is a laborer foreman (Local 1309) on the APM project with nearly 20 years of experience. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Javier comes from a long line of Southern California concrete workers, and he enjoys the active nature of his work and the camaraderie on the jobsite. In 2019, he was recruited to come to work on the APM project by a LINXS superintendent he had worked with in the past. He is currently tasked with working on the system’s cast-in-drilled hole piles and column construction. He is excited to be a part of this momentous project.

Haben Kiros, a 1^st-Period Apprentice with Legacy Reinforcing Steel, came to the ConRAC project after completing the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program (ARP). Haben arrived seven years ago from his native Ethiopia and worked at the airport cleaning the inside of aircraft. After learning about the ARP, he participated in the eight-week and 240 hours of free construction and employment readiness training program that helps prepare local residents launch successful construction careers. Haben is immensely grateful to HireLAX, Legacy Reinforcing Steel and the ConRAC project for helping him pursue a career in his dream profession.