This past weekend, concrete was placed for the first segment of the 2.25 mile elevated guideway of the automated people mover (APM) project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The APM’s electric train system that will transport travelers in and out of the LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA) is the centerpiece of LAWA’s Landside Access Modernization Program.

The APM will feature six stations: three stations inside the CTA, which connect to the terminals via elevated pedestrian walkways, and three stations outside the CTA, which will connect to new off-site parking facilities, regional light rail transportation and a consolidated rental facility. Scheduled to open for passenger service in 2023, the APM is expected to relieve congestion within the CTA and in turn the surrounding thoroughfares, thereby reducing emissions and vehicle miles traveled.

Work on the guideway segment, which is located due west of the future intermodal transportation facility (ITF)-west station near 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue, was enabled by the prior erection of falsework and assembly of formwork into which the reinforcement bar and concrete was placed.

Construction of a typical guideway span follows foundation work and the subsequent construction of the guideway columns. Approximately 1,000 cubic yards of concrete was used in the construction of the guideway deck for this segment. An estimated 72,000 cubic yards of concrete will be used to construct the entire guideway, which includes the foundation piles, columns, guideway deck and concrete tracks. The APM guideway will be constructed span by span, with an average length of 85 feet for each of 93 total spans. That is enough concrete to cover 33 NFL football fields with 12 inches of concrete.

Once the concrete cures to prescribed strength, the formwork and falsework are stripped and the guideway span is revealed. As segments of guideway are constructed, work on the system’s concrete tracks will begin. Construction of the guideway deck for the entire APM system will require approximately 304 major concrete placements.

Once the guideway is in place at the sites of the future APM stations, steel erection for the stations can begin.