Construction of $1.6-billion LAX concourse kicks off at groundbreaking ceremony

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles International Airport officials have unveiled renderings of a newly planned concourse whose construction was kicked off at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning.

The $1.6-billion Midfield Satellite Concourse will be built just west of the existing Tom Bradley International Terminal and will serve as a complement to that facility.

"At times it feels like we're doing one of these a month because there is so much on the move," Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "This is a win for Los Angeles, it's a win for our tourism industry, it's a win for every person who walks through these doors as a gateway to the rest of the world."

A video rendering depicts passengers accessing the new five-story concourse through an underground tunnel with a moving walkway -- replacing the busing of travelers to and from remote gates.

The building, part of a $14-billion improvement program at LAX, will include 12 new gates along with shops and restaurants. Two of the new gates will accommodate Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets.

Garcetti, City Council members and LAX officials used symbolically golden shovels to ceremonially break ground at Monday's event.

"We are going to have what will be one of the most beautiful, state-of-the-art concourses that will rival any concourse being built today around the world," said Deborah Flint, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports. "(Travelers) have seen some of the best airports around the world, and L.A. is now going to be even more fitting of that experience."

The facility is expected to be operational by late 2019.