Granite Lands at LAX

In December, the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) awarded a $174-million contract to Granite Construction to build new exit taxiways and reconstruct sections of existing runways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Under this contract, Granite will build four new exit taxiways, and rehabilitate hot mix asphalt pavement resurfacing on Runway 6L-24R. Granite will also reconstruct the concrete pavement keel section of Runway 6R-24L on the north airfield. Work began in January, with a projected completion in April 2025.

In order to accommodate the work, two major runways will have to be shut down sequentially, a work plan that will require double 10-hour shifts for six days and, if necessary, seven days a week, over the course of a year.

The finished project is expected to improve safety and operational efficiency on the airfield and extend the pavement life of both runways, which are located on the north side of LAX.

Granite anticipates recycling about 85,000 tons of material on the project site. A portion of the recycled material generated onsite will be reused in the 6L-24R project, and the remainder of the processed material will remain onsite for future LAWA projects. A projected 85,000 cubic yards of concrete will be produced by onsite batch plants additionally, there will be approximately 65,000 tons of hot mix asphalt used in paving.

“This project allows Granite to further enhance our quality relationship with LAWA that has been developing since 2016,” said Scott McArthur, Vice President of Regional Operations at Granite. “We appreciate being trusted with a project that will provide increased safety and efficiency to one of the world’s busiest airports.”

The project will be funded by LAWA’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Recent LAWA airfield and terminal improvements at LAX include the $546-million renovation and update at Terminals 7 and 8, a $980-million modernization of Terminal 1, and the $1.7-billion West Gates Expansion Project that added 15 gates to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Granite’s portfolio at LAX includes work at the West Gates Expansion Project, which concluded in 2021, and work supporting Delta’s approximately $1.5-billion Terminals 2 & 3 Modernization project. Prior to that, Granite completed an approximate $40-million contract with LAWA for Runway 35R Reconstruction that included several taxiways and strengthening the airfield bridge over the Sepulveda Tunnel.

Current work underway at LAX includes the $490-million Terminal Vertical Core Project, which is adding three new entryways at the Bradley terminal. The $5.5-billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) is consolidating the rental car facility, and building the Automated People Mover (APM) Train System under the first Public Private Partnership (P3) contract at LAX.

Driving much of the work is the approaching Olympic Games. As LAWA states, “From airside to landside, a transformation like no other is underway as LAX and the City of Los Angeles prepare to welcome the world to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”