New Taxiway at LAX

Los Angeles airline, airport and city officials celebrated the opening of a new center taxiway between the southern two runways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The taxiway project, which began April 2007, was completed on budget and four days early. Los Angeles was the cite of the nation’s worst runway accident between a US Airways 737 and a SkyWest Metroliner in 1991.
Opening of the $83-million center taxiway marks the completion of the airport's overall $333-million South Airfield Improvement Program (SAIP) to improve airfield safety by reducing the number and severity of runway incursions that occur at LAX.
For the four-year period from 2000 through 2003, LAX experienced the highest number of runway incursions of any U.S. commercial airport. In 2006, using the traditional definition of a runway incursion, LAX experienced eight runway incursions, of which two were classified by the FAA as having had the serious potential to result in an accident. Last year, LAX experienced eight runway incursions, of which the FAA classified two as serious.
"The center taxiway is one of the most critical safety improvements to be implemented at LAX," said Wes Timmons, the FAA's runway safety director. "Having the center taxiway as a buffer to prevent aircraft from exiting the outer runway and accidentally infringing on the inner runway will prevent many runway incursions. This is an event in which the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the FAA can be justifiably proud."