Despite five years of study and $25 million in design costs, airport commissioners on Monday scrapped most of the plans for a massive LAX baggage-handling system as projected construction costs have soared, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Commissioners said the baggage-screening system planned for five terminals had become too technologically complicated and was part of an overall project budget that mushroomed from $341 million four years ago to more than $900 million.
“It’s an unhappy situation I think that we have gotten as far as we have,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, which oversees the airport.
“Would we do it this way again? No.”
Instead, members of the airport commission decided to turn the project over to airlines to pursue after construction bids came in higher than expected.
Lindsey said the terminals that would be affected on the south side of the facility are all airline-operated and the board felt the airlines could absorb the costs.
