LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/12/09 -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa was joined today by representatives of local and federal elected officials, executives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and City fire and airport departments in breaking ground for a new replacement Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The $13.5 million Los Angeles Fire Department Station 80 project received $10.8 million in federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"The new Fire Station 80 at LAX will improve our readiness for an emergency at the airport, clear the way for further airport modernization, and provide jobs to help revive our local economy," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "This Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting facility will make LAX safer and better prepared to handle any type of emergency, as well as to accommodate bigger, cleaner, quieter, modern aircraft that keep pace with the changing world of aviation."

Start of construction on Station 80 marks a key milestone in the modernization of LAX. The new ARFF station will replace the current 30 year-old structure and will be located midway between the north and south airfield complexes further west of the passenger terminal area than where the current station is located. The new station will be double the size of the current one with approximately 27,500 square feet, including seven bays to house and maintain rescue vehicles and emergency response equipment. The new facility is designed to better accommodate the size, volume and nature of operations at LAX associated with new-generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing B787. It will also provide living, administrative and training areas for 14 firefighters assigned to each 24-hour shift. Construction is scheduled to be completed Fall 2010.

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl (11th District which encompasses LAX) said, "We are creating jobs, reinventing our airport, and making LAX and the surrounding area a safer place. This is an example of L.A.'s own economic stimulus package. We could use more projects like this across the country."

Los Angeles Fire Chief Millage Peaks said, "The Los Angeles Fire Department has worked in collaboration with the Los Angeles World Airports staff in the planning and design of a great facility that will protect the airport for years to come."

"The FAA's mission to provide a safe aviation system will be enhanced by the presence of this new Los Angeles fire Department facility at LAX," said FAA Western-Pacific Regional Administrator William Withycombe. "Cooperation between the FAA and LAWA has made this facility possible."

Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Valeria C. Velasco said, "Moving forward in modernizing LAX also means modernizing our rescue and firefighting facilities. The new Station 80 will provide state-of-the-art facilities and more space so that the firefighters can continue their tradition of maintaining the highest degree of safety and readiness at LAX as it has done since 1941."

The ARFF construction project is supported by $10,832,000 in Economy Recovery grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. This funding is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The remainder of the cost is funded by airport revenue bond proceeds. No funding is coming from the City's general fund.

Airport officials estimate up to 200 jobs at prevailing wages will be created during this project, including architects, engineers, inspectors, construction workers, building material fabricators, transport drivers and administrative support personnel.

As part of the LAX Master Plan Environmental Impact Report, and in accordance with Los Angeles City and California state regulatory requirements and consultation with community leaders, LAWA developed several measures to minimize environmental impacts due to the Station No. 80 construction, including:

--  Recycling of construction materials
--  Reducing the number of trips service vehicles must take to and from
    the construction site
--  Designating specific routes that service vehicles must use when
    traveling to and from the site
--  Retrofitting equipment and machinery to reduce noise and emissions
--  Continually dampening the work area to reduce dust
    

Relocation of Station No. 80 will allow the current facility to be demolished to make way for the Crossfield Taxiway Project, which is already well underway on other parts of the airfield. This project calls for relocating further west two taxiways that are adjacent to the west side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Completion of the new crossfield taxiways, which is scheduled for next summer, will allow construction to begin on new-generation aircraft gates on the west side of the Bradley terminal.