LAX's Terminal 4 Modernization Tops Out

Construction research — October 24, 2026

LAWA confirms the final steel beam topped out Terminal 4 on May 13, 2026, with interior finishes and building systems still to follow. In Progress applies to this modernization milestone; the completed 2022 Terminal 4.5 core does not complete the remaining Terminal 4 work. Published Terminal 4/5 and wider LAX budgets combine other scopes, and no exact current Terminal 4-only total was established.

• Terminal 4 Modernization Program Tops Out with Final Structural Steel Beam Placed: ready for crews to install interior finishes^[1]

Earlier pin evidence

• LAWA staff and executives witnessed the topping out of the Terminal 4 Modernization Program as crews placed the final steel beam on the frame of the terminal's main concourse, which connects to the already completed southern concourse gates^[1]
• With the structure done, crews move on to interior finishes such as walls and windows and to mechanical equipment like heating and air conditioning^[1]
• The programme began with enabling works in 2018; its first part, the Terminal 4.5 Vertical Core linking Terminals 4 and 5 with SkyLink, was completed in 2022, and the second modernizes Terminal 4 itself with a new entrance, a new south concourse and a refurbished connector^[1]
• More than 6,200 workers have worked on the project, averaging more than $75 an hour, with more than 2.8 million hours worked through March 2026^[1]
• Mayor Karen Bass tied the work to preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games; LAWA CEO John Ackerman said it would improve the experience for guests flying American Airlines^[1]

Notable features

• A new terminal entrance and a new south concourse, joined by a refurbished corridor^[1]
• A direct connection between Terminals 4 and 5 and the SkyLink people mover through the Terminal 4.5 Vertical Core^[1]