A new $175-million taxiway that is part of the modernization of Los Angeles International Airport will remain closed until the last part of October as workers repair damage from a water main leak, airport officials said Friday.
The 3,785-foot taxiway, which connects the airport's north and south runway complexes, was closed to aircraft on Aug. 15 after a high-pressure main that supplies water to hydrants in the adjacent Tom Bradley International Terminal broke.
Although portions of the taxiway are usable on the north and south ends, it remains closed to aircraft that need to cross the airfield. Those planes are being directed to other north-south taxiways as they move around LAX.
Airport officials say that a preliminary investigation indicates that the contractor, Flatiron West Inc., installed a faulty joint in the water main, which was 12 feet beneath the taxiway.
The taxiway, which is immediately west of the Bradley, is part of an ongoing $4.1-billion renovation of the international terminal, sections of the airfield and the airport's central utility plant. It opened in November last year.
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