LAX, Long Beach airports to get millions in infrastructure grants for terminal improvements
Southern California's airports are getting millions of dollars worth of grants, part of a $1 billion national program in President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve airport terminals.
The Department of Transportation's FAA will award grants to 85 airports across the country to help expand capacity, increase energy efficiency, and provide greater accessibility for people with disabilities, the White House announced Thursday.
"Americans deserve modern airports that meet the needs of their families and growing passenger demand," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
Los Angeles International Airport will receive $50 million for reconstruction and modernization of the terminal roadway system, including reconfiguration of the LAX CTA entrance. Long Beach Airport will receive $10.6 million to reconstruct the terminal roadways, terminal loop realignment and establishment of ADA accessibility.
"The work that goes in to build safer, more accessible and sustainable terminals will provide opportunities for people across the nation," FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said in a statement.
The FAA typically invests in runways, traffic-control towers, and back-of-house infrastructure, according to the White House, while airlines usually pay for the terminal upgrades. The infrastructure funding makes it possible to modernize airport terminals at large and small airports alike.
