Century Boulevard, one of the main access roads to the airport, will be closed to traffic at the Aviation Boulevard intersection beginning 9 p.m. Friday, July 25, through 6 a.m. Monday, July 28 for the demolition of Century Boulevard Bridge. The old railroad bridge needs to be demolished to allow for the future construction of a new Century/Aviation light rail station.

Plan ahead to avoid traffic congestion in the LAX area during the closure. One transit option is to take FlyAway, which will be operating new bus service between Santa Monica and LAX starting tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15. The FlyAway bus stop will be located in front of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1875 Main Street, just north of Pico Boulevard. Bus service will operate hourly from 5:45 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. daily and one-way fare is $8.

Keep reading for the press release from Los Angeles World Airports:

Los Angeles and Santa Monica officials came together this morning to celebrate the launch of a new, low-cost FlyAway® bus service providing nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the City of Santa Monica. The new FlyAway® bus service begins tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15, and will operate hourly from 5:45 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays, departing both locations 15 minutes before each hour. One-way fare is $8, with children five years old and under free.

The FlyAway® bus stop will be located in front of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1875 Main Street, just north of Pico Boulevard, and three blocks from Santa Monica State Beach, one of the city’s most popular tourist and recreational attractions. Passenger drop off and pick up at LAX will be in front of each airline terminal.

“The new FlyAway® bus service will give Westsiders a convenient and cost-effective way to get to and from LAX,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “And the new FlyAway® service at Santa Monica begins at an important time, when reducing the number of vehicles traveling to and from LAX will be absolutely necessary in order to cope with traffic congestion near the airport expected during ‘Century Crunch.’”

As chair of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) board, the mayor encouraged all passengers to use shared-ride public transportation to and from LAX during the 57-hour closure of Century Boulevard in both directions at the intersection of Century and Aviation boulevards from 9 p.m. Friday, July 25 through 6 a.m. Monday, July 28. One-third of all vehicles entering the LAX Central Terminal Area use Century Boulevard.

“Santa Monica is thrilled to welcome FlyAway® service to our city,” said Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor. “This new service will give not only our residents an affordable and convenient way to get to LAX, but it will also make it easy for tourists to come to Santa Monica and then enjoy our city by walking, riding a bike, or using our Big Blue Bus to explore.”

“I’m thrilled to see FlyAway® expand to Santa Monica because it means more cars off the road on the Westside,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, Metro board member and chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee. “Los Angeles is making progress every day toward improving the way we get to and from LAX, which is a huge win for our neighborhoods.”

Based on the percentage of LAX passengers originating from the Santa Monica area, LAX officials anticipate first-year ridership from this location to exceed 100,000 passengers.

“The FlyAway® service has great potential for successfully encouraging air travelers to use this economical and convenient bus as an alternative to driving private vehicles to and from LAX,” said Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey. “We also believe the service will be attractive to business travelers and tourists visiting the Santa Monica area for business or leisure.”

FlyAway® bus service at Santa Monica joins four other routes already in operation at Union Station, Van Nuys, Westwood, and the Metro station at Expo/La Brea. A sixth route, in Hollywood, is scheduled to begin in September.

Los Angeles World Airports, Metro, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, law enforcement and emergency response agencies recommend airport travelers utilize FlyAway®

services the weekend of “Century Crunch,” as traffic conditions in and around the airport are expected to become severe. To find public transit options to and from LAX, use Metro Trip Planner at www.metro.net.