LOS ANGELES - Austin Commercial's was pleased to receive the Outstanding Airport Project Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for the execution of Los Angeles World Airport's (LAWA) LAX Terminal 5.5 Core and automated people mover interface for successfully combining the design build and LEAN delivery methods to deliver a project within budget, on schedule, and employing best practices for future work and maximum inclusivity and local worker participation.

The T5.5 Core Project (T5.5) at LAX Terminal 6 supports the City of Los Angeles and LAWA's vision of enhancing the overall passenger experience at the airport. The newly constructed five-level program, totaling 131,260 square feet aims to improve passenger flow and address functional issues within the airport. Work includes terminal retrofit to accommodate the new construction and temporary relocations or terminal functional operations and tenants, while maintaining airport and airline operations.

The T5.5 Project is organized vertically, incorporating escalators, elevators, ramps, and stairs. One significant addition is the automatic people mover (APM) level, which enables the APM pedestrian bridge, passenger security screening checkpoint, and aircraft gates to be located on the same floor level. This design feature allows departing and arriving passengers with pre-printed boarding passes and carry-on bags to avoid level changes within the terminal, bypass ticket lobbies, and bag claim, resulting in a better passenger experience. Furthermore, the T5.5 Core Project expanded the existing arrivals bag claim and departures ticketing levels to ensure the continuity of existing programs and operations for commuting passengers and the airlines operating out of the terminal. The project also introduced additional supporting spaces, including airline offices, future office spaces, restrooms, new bag claim units, art display spaces, back-of-house maintenance/support areas, and rights-of-way for future bag drop and ticketing spaces.

Austin congratulates the LAX Terminal 5 project team on this significant recognition!