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New Runway Status Lights Installation to Begin Monday, September 15

Nighttime Work Activity Is Expected Over the Next Two Months

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials are advising the public that construction to install new airfield safety equipment beginning Monday, Sept. 15, may generate some nighttime noise. While the overall project is expected to be completed in early 2009, any noise impacts are expected to be confined to the next two months.

New Runway Status Lights are expected to improve airfield safety by reducing the possibility of runway incursions at LAX. The system uses a series of red lights in the pavement to warn pilots when it is unsafe to cross over or enter the runway. Pilots approaching a runway equipped with the system will see red lights illuminated if the airport's air traffic control tower's ground surveillance radar detects traffic on or approaching that runway.

The construction project will require nightly closures except Sundays of Runway 24 Left during the next two months. Rwy 24L is required for LAX's nighttime operations from midnight to 6:30 a.m., when planes normally arrive from the west and depart to the west (over-the-ocean). With the nightly closures of Rwy 24L, an estimated four to eight flights per hour are expected to be assigned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers to land from east-to-west (i.e., over the city).

Airport officials said that they will take advantage of the nightly runway closures to also perform much needed maintenance work on the intersections of Rwy 24L with Taxiways E and V. Performing this intersection maintenance work now will eliminate the need to close the runway and avoid creating additional nighttime noise impacts in the future.

The Runway Status Lights Project was announced last February at a press conference conducted by FAA, city and airport officials.

Airport staff will continue to monitor noise complaints on its 24-hour noise hotline at (310) 646-6473 and on its noise complaint web site at http://www.lawa.org/lax/noiseform/complaint.asp.