Sully-Miller Contracting Co. Continues to Play Key Role in LAX Modernization with Taxiway D Extension Project

By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor / Photos provided by Sully-Miller Contracting Co.

The city of Los Angeles purchased 640 acres of land in Westchester, south of Santa Monica, to build what would become the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Construction began in 1940 but the airport was primarily used for military training and transportation purposes during World War II. After the war, LAX returned to civilian use and expanded to accommodate the growing number of commercial flights. By 1960, LAX grew to become one of the busiest airports in the world with new terminals, and runways being added to handle the ever-increasing demand. This is also around the time when the iconic saucer-shaped Theme Building was constructed. The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TGIT) opened at LAX in 1984 and was named in honor of Bradley who was the first African American mayor of Los Angeles. TBIT underwent a major renovation that opened in 2013 and expanded the terminal’s capacity to handle larger aircraft and more passengers.

Recently, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and LAX have undertaken multi-billion-dollar terminal modernization projects to renovate existing structures, including Terminals 1 through 8. The Automated People Mover (APM) partially opened to the public in November 2020 and is expected to be fully functional sometime in 2023. The Consolidated Rent-a-car

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