Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered his support and cautious optimism today to a tentative settlement reached by parties involved in litigation over the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Under the settlement, the City agreed to halt so-called yellow-lighted projects until such time as the projects could be reexamined for future benefit to LAX. One such project was a controversial remote passenger check-in facility east of the airport. Other green-lighted projects will move forward, such as the realignment of the south runway complex and construction of the West Terminal and an automated people mover.
The operation of LAX impacts a vast community that extends beyond the borders of the City of Los Angeles, said Knabe. The massive expansion originally envisioned for LAX would have caused an unacceptable encroachment not just in Los Angeles, but also Inglewood and El Segundo and Culver City and other neighborhoods nearby. This settlement represents a balanced approach to the future of LAX, as well as addressing the concerns expressed by the County and the cities surrounding the airport.
Knabe also offered his thanks to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his desire to explore the need for a stronger regional network of airports.
We cannot put all of our air traffic and air cargo at a single facility. The future success of our region’s ability to move goods and passengers through our airports rests solely on taking a regional approach to our airports, said Knabe. This settlement is a first step to ensure that we have several strong airports regionally, not just a single, overburdened facility.