LAX UPGRADE BEGINS CHANGES STILL COMING.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

Staff Writer

Los Angeles officials broke ground Monday on the long-awaited modernization of LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal but acknowledged they'll have to modify the $576 million project to reflect stiffening competition in the airline industry.

The 38-month reconstruction will be the largest in city history, creating a state-of-the-art facility for 17 million international travelers a year. Funded by airline fees and federal grants, the project will be the first upgrade to the terminal since it opened in advance of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

"We owe it to the millions of people who come to Los Angeles every year to have the most modern airport in the world," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during a morning ceremony. "The Tom Bradley International Terminal is the first and last impression travelers have of Los Angeles. The upgrades will improve customer service so travelers' first and last impression of our great city will be positive."

Located between Terminals 3 and 4 at Los Angeles International Terminal, the Bradley Terminal serves nearly three dozen airlines, from Aer Lingus to Varig.

The Bradley Terminal project is part of an LAX renovation that has been in the planning stages for more than a decade. Then-Mayor Richard Riordan first proposed an upgrade that would have dramatically expanded LAX to accommodate 100 million passengers a year, sparking widespread criticism of the ambitious plan.

After he took over as mayor, James Hahn got a scaled-back proposal approved by the City Council, but lawsuits filed by outraged officials in neighboring cities prevented the $11 billion project from moving forward.

During the opening months of his administration, Villaraigosa persuaded the neighboring cities to drop their suits by agreeing to scale back the project further to about $4 billion and capping annual traffic at 79.8 million passengers.

City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, the sister of the former mayor, said Monday that airport officials may have to rework the plans -- which already have cost an additional $147 million -- to accommodate more international flights because of demands from airlines.

"We have to face the fact we have competition from San Francisco, from Seattle, from Las Vegas," Hahn said. "If we are going to remain the No. 1 destination airport for international visitors, we are going to have to look at adding gates."

Plans call for upgrading Bradley's 12 gates and adding 45,000 square feet of space to the million-square-foot building. There also will be new ticketing areas, luxury lounges and a $140 million in-line baggage-screening area.

By contrast, San Francisco just doubled the size of its international terminal, to 1.6 million square feet, with two dozen gates available for international flights.

"These other cities are going to compete for our business, and they should," Villaraigosa said. "All it means is that we will have to do a better job here to fight for this business."

Airport Commission President Alan Rosenberg said LAX staff members are already reviewing the plans to determine how to add more gates. One option, he said, is to convert some of the seven other terminals to accommodate international operations.

The Bradley Terminal renovation is the second phase of the modernization. Crews are also building a new south runway, which is scheduled for completion in April, and a new center taxiway designed to provide more space for airliners.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, at podium, along with airport and city officials, announce the $575 million plan to renovate LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News