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LAX People Mover to be privately built, financed and operated

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Los Angeles International Airport managers announced Thursday they want to let private firms design, build, finance and run the new 2.5-mile People Mover.

LAX will also use outside firms to build and operate a new centralized rental car center under a plan proposed by airport staff. It's all part of a $5 billion project to make it easier to fly in and out of LAX.

Agencies like LAX could build and run their own assets, but a growing trend among government agencies is to get private industry to share in the financial risk of construction and let them reap the potential profits. The shiny new Deukmejian Courthouse in downtown Long Beach is one local example.

Fans of this kind of public private partnership say projects get done faster, at less cost. Critics warn that private partners in these deals need careful oversight of how they spend public dollars.

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