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Los Angeles City Council is set to greenlight an extra $250 million on Tuesday to revitalize the Los Angeles International Airport<\/a>\u2018s curbside \u2014 marking a staggering leap from what began as a modest $13 million fix.<\/p>\n The jaw-dropping sum builds on an existing design-build contract <\/a>awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. in 2023 for $13 million.<\/p>\n The move would also push the touted Central Terminal Area Curbside Improvement Program<\/a> at LAX out of its planning phase and into full construction, while extending the deal through June 2029.<\/p>\n Illustration of an aerial view of the LAX airport showing the upgraded Central Terminal Area and automated people mover. LAX<\/p>\n The total price tag for the project has now ballooned to $308 million.<\/p>\n City officials have cleared the project under a categorical exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act<\/a>, allowing it to move forward without a full environmental review, a step that typically shortens timelines for infrastructure upgrades.<\/p>\n The pitch from airport officials is a reimagined curbside that delivers a \u201cmodern and cohesive\u201d look that captures LA\u2019s energy while tackling the daily chaos that defines the LAX experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/p>\n California Post News<\/strong>: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> The project zeros in on the notorious horseshoe where traffic routinely grinds to a halt. LAX<\/p>\n But the project has ballooned into something far more than a facelift.<\/p>\n The overhaul zeroes in on the Central Terminal Area loop, the notorious horseshoe where traffic routinely grinds to a halt.<\/p>\n Plans call for a sweeping rebuild of the curbside, including expanded passenger loading zones on both inner and outer roadways, redesigned pickup and drop-off areas, upgraded crosswalks, widened sidewalks, fa\u00e7ade improvements to parking structures, new seating, landscaping, lighting, and reworked pedestrian pathways designed to handle surging passenger volumes ahead of the 2028 Olympics.<\/p>\n \u201cThis next phase of LAX\u2019s transformation represents far more than infrastructure; it\u2019s about creating a first and last impression of Los Angeles that is welcoming, inspiring and unmistakably reflective of our city\u2019s character,\u201d said Hans Thilenius, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) deputy executive director for the Terminal Development and Improvement Program, in a prior statement.<\/p>\n An illustration of people sitting on benches in a modernized LAX curbside area. LAX<\/p>\n An Automated People Mover train being tested at the LAX\/Metro Transit Center. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n The curbside revamp is just one piece of a much larger,\u00a0and increasingly strained, transformation of LAX.<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/59f319919d492953c2db590bcee9bfd6.jpeg\"\/)
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