Los Angeles: Passengers, visitors and workers traveling to/from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, are advised to expect vehicular traffic congestion and possible delays due to phased closures of westbound Century Boulevard between Airport Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevards, and then of northbound Sepulveda Boulevard between Imperial Highway and 98th Street. This is in response to a scheduled labor demonstration by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1877.
Airport officials recommend in general that departing passengers arrive in their airline terminals two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. Due to the planned demonstration and holiday weekend, passengers coming to LAX during this five-hour period are advised to add an additional 90 minutes to their planned drive time to ensure they catch departing flights on time. While all entrances into the LAX Central Terminal Area will remain open, the phased temporary closures are expected to significantly impact traffic at two airport entrances into the Central Terminal Area: westbound Century Blvd. and northbound Sepulveda Blvd. north of the Sepulveda Tunnel.
At times during the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. period, traffic headed to LAX on westbound Century Blvd. may be diverted to northbound Airport Blvd. to westbound 98th Street. The Department of Transportation and signs will be deployed to provide alternative routes into the airport.
Media Staging Area: The initial demonstration staging area will be at the southwest corner of Century Blvd. and Airport Blvd. and the intersection will be temporarily closed. At about noon, demonstrators have agreed to gather, hold a protest, and then move westbound on Century Blvd. There is no parking on Century Blvd. or any of its sidewalks at any time during this demonstration. It is recommended that media park curb side, south of Century Blvd. on Airport Blvd. Media can stage their cameras on the opposite side of the street, southeast corner, which affords them the opportunity to view the protest.
As the demonstration proceeds westbound on Century Blvd., there will be a roving closure of westbound Century Blvd. and all its north side feeder streets, as the demonstrators proceed towards Sepulveda Blvd. The demonstration will culminate at the intersection of Century Blvd. at Sepulveda Blvd. The permitted time for the demonstration ends at 12:45 p.m., and after such time, demonstrators will be asked to clear the streets and to remain on the sidewalk. Media interested in driving to this location is urged to park on east curb of Vicksburg Avenue, north of Century Blvd. Due to the closure of Century, it is recommended that the Media enter from the 98th Street on the north. Due to limited access areas and the expected crowd, no parking is allowed on Century Blvd. or Sepulveda Blvd, or the surrounding sidewalks. A dedicated media staging area is set on Century Blvd., east of intersection at Sepulveda Blvd., behind police lines. This location will give the media an opportunity to view the demonstration.
Los Angeles Police Department Public Information Officers will be at scene for questions and to accommodate this event.
Additional LAX Traffic Advisory:
The following entrances into the airport will remain open, with exceptions:
• Westbound Interstate 105 (I-105) Century Freeway to northbound Sepulveda Blvd. onto the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals roadways. During the demonstration, the California Highway Patrol may determine a need to close the I-105 freeway exit to northbound Sepulveda Blvd. If the I-105 Sepulveda Blvd. exit is closed, traffic will be diverted onto westbound Imperial Highway to northbound Pershing Drive to eastbound Westchester Parkway to southbound Sepulveda Blvd. to the 96th Street Bridge.
• Lincoln Blvd. to southbound Sepulveda Blvd. to the 96th Street Bridge
• Southbound Sepulveda Blvd. to westbound “Little Century” (adjacent to Park One private parking facility) on the Lower/Arrivals roadway only.
All traffic exiting the Central Terminal Area will be directed to use eastbound Century Blvd. and southbound Sepulveda Blvd.
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Information on real-time flight status can be found at www.lawa.org/fsw. Real-time traffic conditions can be found at http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/html/lax.html.
Anyone needing additional information regarding this event is urged to contact Media Relations Section at (213) 486-5910.
