At the corner of 96th Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, the road that used to carry Westchester drivers toward the airport now stops. Eastbound 96th between Sepulveda and Alverstone Avenue closed permanently on January 23, 2026, and the westbound side followed on February 26. The work that closed it is meant to feed cars to Skylink, the airport's automated people mover. The train still isn't carrying passengers. The new street layout is already in place.
That gap shapes every Thanksgiving and December airport run from Westchester this year. The original cell phone lots are closed, the shortcuts are gone, and the rail link guests can use today is a shuttle bus.
Skylink's New Target Is February
The Los Angeles Times reported on October 29 that the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, now expects the 2.25-mile train to start carrying passengers February 5. That is a month after the previous target of January 6. The same report said the delay "will continue to increase on a day-for-day basis" until the Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles World Airports sign agreements on solar power for the train. Before opening, the train also needs 30 consecutive days of testing without substantial issues, plus approvals from the airport and an independent engineer.
The $3.3 billion project was originally scheduled to open in 2023. Any plan for picking up family over the holidays should assume it won't be running.
Where to Wait Now
LAWA's July 2026 roadway update lists the airport's original cell phone waiting lots as closed. It names two alternate free waiting lots at 6217 W. 96th Street and 5800 W. Century Boulevard for drivers to use until their party is ready for pickup. Flylax.com still lists these same two addresses as the LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lots, so a driver using either name ends up in the same place.
| 96th Street Lot | Century Lot | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 6217 W. 96th Street | 5800 W. Century Boulevard |
| Stalls | 100 | 23 |
| Access, per flylax.com | Jetway Boulevard or westbound 96th Street | Century Boulevard or Airport Boulevard |
| Location | Just east of the Sky Way bridge into the terminal area | Southeast corner of Century and Airport |
Both lots are free and open 24 hours, with a two-hour limit. Vehicles must stay attended, and no shuttle runs to or from either lot.
The Century Lot has fewer than a quarter of the 96th Street Lot's stalls. The 96th Street Lot is the bigger landing spot, but it sits in the middle of the construction zone. With 96th Street now closed in segments west of it, the old habit of cutting straight down 96th from Sepulveda no longer works. Before leaving the house, check the LAX live traffic and road alerts page, which LAWA recommends because construction dates can change.
The Streets Between Your Driveway and the Lot
The waiting-lot change came with a rebuild of the surrounding grid. LAWA's July update lists these closures on the east side of the airport:
- 96th Street, permanently closed between Sepulveda Boulevard and Alverstone Avenue
- 96th Street, closed between Sepulveda Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue through 2027
- Vicksburg Avenue, permanently closed between 96th Street and 98th Street
One temporary closure is scheduled to end Friday, November 13. Since September 21, westbound Century Boulevard has closed overnight between Jetway Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday and from midnight to 7 a.m. on Fridays. During those hours, departures traffic detours over the Sky Way bridge and arrivals access stays open. Barring an extension, that leaves Century open overnight for the red-eye pickups around Thanksgiving week.
The terminal loop has restrictions of its own. The airport's ground transportation bulletin for November 1 through 7 listed round-the-clock restrictions at the Terminal 1 arrivals median islands, the Terminal 2 arrivals inner lanes and the Terminal 4/5 drop-off lanes. It also listed temporary shuttle-stop closures or relocations at Terminals 2 and 6. Those bulletins are reissued for each period, so a guest landing at Terminal 2 the Sunday after Thanksgiving may find a different curb layout than the one listed today.
The Pickup, in Order
With the lots and closures in mind, a private-car pickup from Westchester follows a fixed sequence.
- Check the live LAX road alerts before leaving, since closure dates can shift.
- Drive to the 96th Street Lot or the Century Lot and wait in the car. The limit is two hours.
- When your guest calls with bags in hand, head into the terminal area.
- Pick them up at the outer curb on the lower arrivals level, outside baggage claim, where LAX directs private-car pickups.
Drop-offs go to the upper departures level at the terminals. Guests arriving by standard ride app or taxi still get picked up at LAX-it, next to Terminal 1. They can walk there or take a free shuttle from the arrivals-level stops. Rideshare and taxi drop-offs for departing flights still happen at the terminals. Some premium ride-app tiers are allowed at the curb, so guests should check their specific app and service level before counting on a curbside pickup.
When the Guest Takes the Train
Westchester already has an airport rail connection, even without Skylink. Metro opened the LAX/Metro Transit Center at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street on June 6, 2025. It connects the C and K lines with Metro and municipal buses and Metro Micro. Metro bus lines 102, 111, 117, 120 and 232 also stop there.
Metro's Go Metro to LAX page directs riders to bus bays 1 and 2 for a free shuttle to every terminal. LAX lists that Metro Connector Shuttle as running daily from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m., about every 10 minutes on average. A guest coming in on the K Line can ride to the transit center and take the shuttle to the terminal. That shuttle covers the trip Skylink was built to replace.
Two smaller details make this practical for a household that would rather skip the curb entirely:
- Park-and-ride. Daily parking at Aviation/LAX station costs $3 and is open 24/7, gated, patrolled and well lit.
- Metro Micro. The LAX/Inglewood zone runs daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. A one-way fare is $2.50 and includes two hours of Metro bus and rail transfers. Service runs stop-to-stop between major intersections, points of interest and transit stations, so check the app to see whether your address falls inside the service area.
What the Roadwork Is Building Toward
Whether the closures feel worth it depends on what they produce. LAWA's Airfield and Terminal Modernization Program will replace and reconfigure 4.4 miles of roadways into and out of the Central Terminal Area. According to the July update, more than 500 cars will come off Sepulveda Boulevard at any given time and wait on dedicated airport roadways. The stated goals include easing the transition from Sepulveda onto airport roads, improving access to LAX Economy Parking and the Skylink stations, and building protected pedestrian bridges.
The schedule runs on the Olympics clock. Phase A is due for substantial completion before the 2028 Games. Phase B, due in May 2030, opens the roadways leaving the terminal area and the final connection from Sepulveda to Century Boulevard. That puts the holiday seasons of 2026 and 2027 inside the construction period, and the 96th Street segment to Vicksburg stays closed through 2027.
One piece is specific to the neighborhood. The two-sided Westchester median sign will be updated with a modern look that respects the original, with installation scheduled for summer 2027. Residents who want to see the finished layout before it's built can view a physical 3D model and roadway visualizations by appointment at the project's Immersion Showroom, 6033 W. Century Blvd., Suite 870.
First Stop After the Curb
Once guests are in the car, the Westchester Triangle is a few minutes from the construction and has a full calendar through December.
The Westchester farmers market runs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6200 W. 87th St., between The Coffee Company and Truxton's. A few doors down at 6261 W. 87th St., Tomat recently marked its two-year anniversary. It serves breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner from 5 to 8:30 p.m., and opens at 8 a.m. on weekends.
The rest of the season, in date order:
- November 21–22: St. Jerome's Holiday Craft Faire, 5550 Thornburn St.
- November 22, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.: Playa del Rey Makers Market, with more than 60 local vendors, live music and a raffle.
- December 5, 4–7 p.m.: Westchester Saturday Stroll on 87th Street in the Triangle.
- December 11: ASLMU's annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Regents Terrace on the LMU campus, with cookies and cocoa.
- December 12–27: The Westchester Mental Health Guild's 7th Holiday Lights Tour & Contest, covering decorated homes in Westchester and Playa del Rey. The Guild has called these dates tentative.
A guest who lands Saturday morning and gets picked up at the outer arrivals curb can be at the 87th Street market by Sunday at 9.
If you own a home near the airport and are weighing whether to lease it while LAX's roadwork continues through 2027, Jambi Property Management can walk you through what the construction calendar means for your lease timing. Request a free rental analysis, and we'll base the numbers on how the neighborhood works today.
