O'hare modernization status?
 

So every time I fly into/out of ORD or just drive by, I see the new tower and lots of construction equipment out there. I read somewhere (dunno where) that they're opening the new tower and a new runway on Oct. 31.

The City of Chicago's website on the modernization program is just awful in terms of giving any real information that people would find useful.

Does anyone know what the major milestones are for this program? When will the horrid delays be over? When will the new terminal building be ready?

There is no new terminal underway.

There was something in the Tribune a couple weeks ago about a runway opening to the tune of what you said. Search chicagotribune.com and you should be able to find the latest.

Wikipedia begs to differ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohare#Modernization_plan

None of that has begun. They're still fighting with the neighboring suburbs over their land.

ISTR seeing a few weeks ago that the courts had lifted an injunction against the city taking down the houses they've already acquired, so they'd started demolition.

Don't believe what wiki tells you. They are having issues just financing the runway work.

from the OMP web site:
"It may include the construction of a new, western concourse facility if market conditions demand additional gate facilities."

The new tower is for the north side of the airfield, including the new runway 9L / 27R (there is an open house on Sept 21 if you want to walk around on it). They had to build the new tower because the existing tower can't see the taxiways around the hanger area.

That tower and the new runway will open around Thanksgiving.

There is an extension to the runway immediately south of the terminal complex (10L / 28R) that will open on September 25. Those are the major accomplishments at this point.

They have been grading the south airfield for future runway 10C / 28C, which will be parallel to and close to 10L / 28R. Looks like they have some significant cargo area construction to do, plus the ongoing issues with Bensenville, the cemetery, and moving roads and railroad tracks.

Seems like they have made a bit of progress with completing the acquisition and demolition of houses in Bensenville, but we're a long way from seeing six parallel east-west runways at ORD. New terminals? I doubt it. With the airline industry still up for grabs and UA on the ropes, I doubt that anyone will want to spend any significant cash to build a new terminal. If UA goes under, I could see AA getting T1, T2 getting demolished and rebuilt, and T3 serving the other domestic airlines for a few years. A new T2 would pick up the carriers who need a few gates, then I would expect a massive rebuild of T3, with some reconfiguration to allow for a proper extension into a future T4.

If anything goes on the west side of the airfield, it might be a temporary RJ terminal which would likely get converted into a charter / leisure terminal down the road. That would relieve T5 from some of the Caribbean / Mexico traffic and open up more opportunity for transcontinental international traffic in T5.

New south runways
 

Sorry to post on an old thread, but having trouble finding this info ...

*Does anyone know how far 10C/28C will be from existing runway 10L/28R (e.g., will the new runway be less than a block south of the existing runway?)

*Also, how far south of 10C/28C will the final runway (10R/28L) be (e.g, is it a half mile south, or a lot less than that)?

Any help greatly appreciated. Buying a house West of O'Hare and don't want to be directly under the new flight paths. :)

Bensenville? Addison? Medinah? Elgin?

The O'Hare Modernization Program website can be found here: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...ovdrs/omp.html

Near as I can tell, parts of 10C/28C are currently under construction so you should be able to see where it is. I know it'll run through the current FedEx cargo facility (a replacement is under construction) if that helps.

Thanks for the replies sonofzeus and Finite Elephant ... and the Web site link. :)

I'm looking in Bartlett, just north of Army Trail. The planes on 10L/28R currently come in directly over Schick Road (which is just over a half mile north of the houses I'm looking at). I found an old spec online for the North runways that says 9C/27C and 9R/27L are 1640 feet apart (about 1/3 mile) and the South runways look closer together?

I don't mind planes in the area, I just don't want to have a flight path going directly over the house (did that before, never could get used to the noise). I'm not too concerned about the far south runway as the traffic will be pretty light, concerned about the exact location of 10C/28C though.

Could you tell me where to drive at O'Hare to see the new runway being built/location? Any additional info would be truly appreciated!

There are some aerial shots showing different phases of the modernization program at the bottom of Wikipedia's discussion of the program. That should give you an idea of where to go.

I'm not that familiar with the west side of the airport, but the upper floors of some of the hotels east of the airport might give you a view. You can kind of see that part of the airport from the Tri-State, but I wouldn't advise stopping and gawking.

I brought up a Google map alongside the aerial shots of phase 2 & 3. I believe the phase 2 runways cut into the cemetery. The phase 3 southernmost runway definitely crosses Irving Park and on the western edge heads towards a housing neighborhood which is now abandoned. The Google map seems to show more earthmoving having taken place to the west of the cemeteries.

Last year I drove eastbound on Irving Park from Route 83 past the fenced-in condemned neighborhoods. The homes were in reasonable shape so other than completely empty streets and the overgrown lawns, it looked as if people just quickly evacuated – almost like you would see in a science fiction movie.

Thanks so much gfunkdave, Finite Elephant and donnde ... the idea of the 2 maps was especially helpful! :)

The existing runway lines up with Beeline Dr. and the new one looks to line up with Wilson Court on the west side of O'Hare, so that puts 10C/28C a quarter mile south of 10L/28R.

The final runway definitely crosses Irving Park, and lines up with a Midway Court (south of Irving Park), which is a half mile south of Wilson Court (10C/28C location), so it looks like it will be .75 miles south of existing 10L/28R.

Thanks so very much for everyone's help ... have a great night. ecowrites :)