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CITY OFFICIALS TO MEET WITH ILLINOIS DELEGATION, FAA OFFICIALS
IN WASHINGTON TO DISCUSS O'HARE EXPANSION PROPOSAL
Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Thomas Walker,
Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi and Chicago
Department of Transportation Commissioner Miguel d'Escoto will
lead a delegation of City officials to Washington, DC to discuss
Mayor Richard M. Daley's proposal to address delays and congestion
at and around O'Hare. They are making the trip at the request of
Illinois senior Sen. Dick Durbin. In addition, the City representatives
will meet with FAA officials to discuss the proposal.
"As Mayor Daley has said, O'Hare is the economic engine that powers Chicago's
economy, and coupled with the national attention delays at O'Hare have received,
it is vitally important that we inform our congressional representatives about
this plan, and answer any questions they may have," said Commissioner Walker.
On June 29 Mayor Richard M. Daley delivered on his commitment to offer a proposal
by July 1 to relieve the congestion and delays confronting O'Hare Airport.
Daley said that "after years of debating various solutions, it is time for local
and state leaders to come together to develop and implement a local solution to
the problems confronting Chicago's airports."
Together both O'Hare and Midway airports serve more than 85 million travelers
annually and contribute half a million jobs and $37 billion in economic activity
to all Chicagoland -- north, west and south.
According to the Mayor, the fastest and most economical way to relieve delays and
congestion and increase capacity is to build on what we already have at O'Hare.
He said that "it would be incomplete for the city’s
proposal to deal with air congestion and not traffic
congestion on the ground. That’s why this
proposal, which we hope will generate much public
comment, also addresses the problem on streets
in and around O’Hare."
Elements of the proposal include:
The addition of one runway and the relocation of three current runways,
reducing delays related to poor weather by 95%, and overall delays by 79%.
Estimated annual capacity would increase to 1.6 million operations, satisfying
demand beyond 2030 based on FAA forecasts.
Annual economic benefits grow from an estimated $16.4-19.0 billion to $48.4-51.9 billion.
O'Hare generated employment increases by an estimated 195,000 jobs, from 365,000 to 560,000.
Provides more efficient access between the northwest suburbs and the west/south
suburbs, and reduces congestion at the I-90/I-294/I-190 interchange.
The proposal would be funded by the airlines, Passenger Facility Charges and the
Airline Improvement Program, thus no local taxpayer money will be used.
Daley said these investments will solidify Chicagoland's position as the nation's
transportation center and create tens of thousands of new jobs each year, grow
hundreds of new businesses and generate billions in revenues for Chicago and
suburban communities.
