O'Hare runway plan ignores our weather

Brisk, steady north winds brought mayhem and gridlock to O'Hare on Halloween with more than 700 cancellations nationwide due to an inoperable runway layout, the net result of a misguided modernization plan. Years past found us landing on runways now closed or unused enabling a safe flow of traffic, even with significant weather anomalies.

O'Hare's modernization plan removes, decommissions the most utilized concrete on site in favor of an Atlanta Hartsfield style east/west runway configuration curiously disregarding the reality of Lake Michigan weather. More a political agenda than a legitimate transportation enhancement, the OMP has truly destroyed a fully functional aerodrome leaving it most vulnerable to the unique weather phenomenon of our region.

A cursory study of medium and large airports across our region reveals that an overwhelming majority maintains primary runways oriented north/south to enable operations throughout the year with winds dictating operations. Truth be told, the only all-weather capable large airport remaining in the greater Chicago area now resides at Midway.

William G. Parrot

McHenry