LAX Breaks Ground on Massive Bradley Terminal Expansion Today

A $1.25-billion expansion project at Los Angeles International Airport gets underway today as officials are scheduled to break ground for "one of the largest public works projects in the history of Los Angeles," according to cbs2.

The Bradley West Project, approved last fall, is a massive modernization endeavor that will create "nine new boarding gates to accommodate the new generation of larger planes, new shops, restaurants, ticketing counters, security and baggage areas." The construction project involves the demolition of the current concourse, to be replaced with new concourses, passenger lounges, and corridors joining the Bradley Terminal to Terminals 3 and 4.

Officials estimate the project will create about 4,000 jobs, of which about half are expected to be filled by LA residents and almost all by Southern Californians. The improved facilities will re-open in stages, with the new gates expected to "be completed by 2012, with the remainder of the upgrades completed by spring 2013."