KLAX Opens New Center Taxiway

The wheels of progress move slowly:

http://www.lawa.org/lax/laxNews.cfm?fromRec=1
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OPENS NEW CENTER TAXIWAY TO
IMPROVE AIRFIELD SAFETY; PROJECT COMPLETED EARLY AND ON BUDGET

(Los Angeles, California – June 24, 2008) Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio R. Villaraigosa was joined today by city council members,
and airport and federal aviation officials to announce the
completion and official opening of the new center taxiway between
the two runways on the south side of Los Angeles International
Airport (LAX). The taxiway project, which began April 2007, was
completed on budget and four days early.

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.” ...

Today's event follows a 14-month period during which the
10,000-foot long and 75-foot wide taxiway was constructed parallel
and between the airport’s two south runways, and shorter taxiways
were constructed to link the runways to the center taxiway.
Construction also included the installation of navigational and
visual aids, utilities, lighting, signage, grading and drainage.

The completion of the center taxiway project followed the
$250-million demolition, relocation and reconstruction of Rwy 25L,
which re-opened April 2007. SAIP funding sources were airline
landing fees; $105 million from FAA Airport Improvement Program
grants; and airport operating revenues and capital improvement
funds.

LAX has spent tens of millions of dollars since the late 1990s to
enhance airfield safety with redundant signage and markings. While
these new measures have resulted in a significant reduction in
runway incursions, adding the new center taxiway has already
demonstrated its effectiveness.

The center taxiway reduces the possibility of human error by
requiring aircraft landing on outer Rwy 25 Left to exit the
runway, travel down the center taxiway, and then hold until
authorized by air traffic controllers to cross the inner Rwy 25
Right to reach the passenger terminal gates.

The “zig-zag” path causes an aircraft to slow sufficiently in
order to stop in time and receive permission to cross the inner
runway. Formerly, aircraft used high-speed taxiways to exit the
outer arrival runway and runway incursions would occur if the
aircraft did not stop in time to stay behind the hold-bar line. In
a joint study involving LAWA, FAA and NASA Ames Research Center's
FutureFlight Central, air traffic controllers found that the
center taxiway offered an effective solution to the primary cause
of the most severe types of runway incursions experienced at LAX.

SAIP incorporated several innovative practices to reduce
environmental impacts from construction on areas in and around
LAX. It was the first of the LAX Master Plan "green lighted"
projects. As part of the LAX Master Plan Environmental Impact
Report, and in accordance with Los Angeles City and California
state regulatory requirements and consultation with community
leaders, LAWA developed several measures to minimize construction
impacts, including:

* Recycling 100 percent of all the materials from the old
runway into the new runway and taxiway
* Placing concrete mixers and other equipment on-airport, thus
reducing the number of trips service vehicles must take to and
from the construction site
* Designating specific routes that service vehicles must use
when traveling to and from the site
* Retrofitting equipment and machinery to reduce noise and
emissions
* Continually dampening the work area to reduce dust

The FAA reported that while SAIP was under construction, air
traffic controllers and airlines were able to maintain near-normal
flight schedules.



http://www.aero-news.net/news/commai...0-1ae7357b2cb3
... Several other runway safety improvement programs are underway
at LAX, including the installation of runway status lights and
ASDE-X. Under the runway status lights program, a series of red
lights are embedded in the runway pavement to warn pilots if it is
unsafe to cross or enter a runway. ASDE-X provides controllers
with ground surveillance data collected from a variety of sources,
including traditional radar, ADS-B, and aircraft transponders.
Both systems are expected to be operational next year.

"Each of these upgrades adds a layer of safety that benefits every
one of the 61 million-plus passengers who fly through here each
year," stated Wes Timmons, FAA's Director of Runway Safety. "Taken
together, these upgrades will go a long way in making this safe
airport even safer."



http://www.sensis.com/docs/128/
Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X (ASDE-X)
ASDE-X is a traffic management system for the airport surface that
provides seamless coverage and aircraft identification to air
traffic controllers. The system uses a combination of surface
movement radar and transponder multilateration sensors to display
aircraft position labeled with flight call-signs on an ATC tower
display. The integration of these sensors provides data with an
accuracy, update rate and reliability suitable for improving
airport safety in all weather conditions. Further, the system is
architected to support Automatic Dependent Surveillance -
Broadcast (ADS-B). The FAA has identified 35 airports in the
United States as candidates for ASDE-X systems.

In addition to improving safety through runway incursion
prevention, the quality of the ASDE-X data resulting from the
fusion of multiple surveillance sources enables decision support
for:

* Positive correlation of flight plan information with
aircraft position on controller displays;
* Seamless surveillance coverage of the airport from arrival
through departure;
* Elimination of blind spots and coverage gaps; and
* Highly accurate, high update surveillance enabling:
o situational awareness even in inclement conditions
o conflict detection and resolution

Further, continuous growth in U.S. aviation is causin...

ASDE-X Core Components

The ASDE-X architecture consists of five core components:
Multilateration, Surface Movement Radar, Automatic Dependent
Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B), Multi-Sensor Data Processing,
and Tower Displays. ...



http://rwsl.ll.mit.edu/index.html
Runway Status Lights System

Created on November 29, 2004. Updated on June 10, 2008.

RWSL is a fully automatic, advisory safety system designed to
reduce the number and severity of runway incursions and thus
prevent runway accidents while not interfering with airport
operations. RWSL is designed to be compatible with existing
procedures. RWSL is comprised of Takeoff Hold Lights (new) and
Runway Entrance Lights. ...

RELs and THLs have been installed at Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport (DFW) and RELs have been installed at San
Diego International Airport (SAN). At DFW, an operational
evaluation of RELs was completed in 2005 and an operational
evaluation of THLs commenced in 2006. At SAN, an operational
evaluation of RELs is scheduled to commence in 2006. ...