POSTED: Thursday November 20th 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR DALEY DEDICATES NEW RUNWAY AND CONTROL TOWER COMPLETED AS PART OF O’HARE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM

Project opens on schedule and $6 million under budget

Mayor Richard M. Daley today joined federal officials and civic leaders at O’Hare International Airport to commission a new air traffic control tower and Runway 9L-27R, the first new runway built at O’Hare International Airport since 1971.

The $457 million project, which is part of the comprehensive O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP), opened on schedule and $6 million under budget.

“This is an historic day for Chicago, the State of Illinois and the millions of people who depend on O’Hare International Airport every day to move people and goods around the world,” Daley said in a ceremony held at O’Hare.

“If we’re to succeed in the global economy, we must continue to improve our city’s quality of life and take the steps that secure our city’s economic future,” he said.

Modernizing O’Hare is important because it is the state’s economic engine, the mayor said.

Last year, the airport handled 76 million people and over 925,000 flights. It generated 450,000 jobs and $38 billion in economic activity annually.

“O’Hare is our connection to the rest of the world. Its efficient operation is essential to our ability to compete in the global economy and to make Chicago the kind of place where people want to live, work and raise a family,” Daley said.

“However, despite all of O’Hare’s success in moving people and goods across the world, one fact is painfully clear – O’Hare is not only one of the world’s busiest airports, but it is also one of the most delayed airports.

“Moving forward with the OMP is necessary to protect the long-term economic health of our region, and to do that we must do something about the delays. The new runway does just that,” he said.

New Runway 9L-27R is 7,500 feet long, 150 feet wide, and is equipped to land planes as large as a 747. It will be a Category II/III runway, which is the best available for landing planes in inclement weather.

With the addition of this new runway, O’Hare will be able to land three planes simultaneously in bad weather conditions.  The ability to do so makes O’Hare more efficient and reliable.  According to FAA analysis, the addition of Runway 9L-27R causes delays at O’Hare to be reduced to an average of 16 minutes per flight, while adding 52,000 flights annually.

The addition of this runway has also led the federal government to remove flight caps that have reduced the number of arrivals at the airport since 2004.

The new control tower was needed to manage operations on the new runway. It is the most environmentally friendly tower ever constructed.  Most notably, the new tower features a 10,000 square foot green roof on top of the administrative building, making it the first of its kind in the country.  
“Today the O’Hare Modernization Program is delivering two critical elements to build a 21st century airport,” said Rosemarie S. Andolino, OMP Executive Director.  “O’Hare is a vital hub for millions of air passengers.  This new infrastructure, as well as the remainder of the OMP, will ensure that O’Hare remains a vital transportation hub for decades to come.”

In September, Daley dedicated the Runway 10/28 extension project, another part of the OMP that was completed 56 days ahead of schedule and $33 million under budget.

“Although we are here today to celebrate the great progress of the OMP, there is still much more work to be done,” Daley said.

“Completing the full OMP is important because it will create thousands of new jobs throughout the region and will pump millions more into our economy. It will reduce delays and add capacity.  We are moving aggressively forward to complete the entire OMP in 2014,” he said.

The Mayor thanked several partners whose support and work have contributed to the progress of the OMP, including the Chicago business community, especially the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the airlines, the labor community and federal, state and local elected officials.

And he thanked Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Acting Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Robert Sturgell, both of whom attended the dedication, for their support and the support of the Bush Administration over the years.

For the past 60 years air travel has evolved into the preferred method of moving people and goods across the globe.  In Chicago, we realize the critical role O’Hare has in the national aviation system. That is why we are fully committed to investing in O’Hare’s infrastructure, to reduce the delays that have plagued the airport for decades, and to prepare for future demand,” Daley said.

“Now, more than ever, we must work together to keep our region’s economy strong, our men and women at work, and rise to meet the demands of the 21st century,” he said.

 #          #          #

Mayor’s Press Office

312-744-3334

 
Roderick Drew

O’Hare Modernization Program

773-457-0472 (cell)

 

# # #

Keywords · Chicago 2016 · Richard M. Daley · O’Hare International Airport · Summer Olympic Games

Name: Mica Matsoff
Organization: Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid
Email:
Phone: 1.312.861.4826
URL: http://www.chicago2016.org/

Please refer all questions to the company listed above issuing the press release. SFC will not be able to assist you with any inquiries and disclaims any content in these press releases.