Despite challenges, modernization a go at O'Hare

Multiple lawsuits and the free-fall of the aviation industry spurred by spiraling fuel costs are raising doubts about a pricey plan to expand O'Hare International Airport and stem its chronic delays.

But watching a machine smoothing asphalt on the airport's newest runway since 1971, Rosemarie Andolino, director of the O'Hare Modernization Program, finds vindication in hardening pavement.

"Everyone said we weren't going to be able to get it done," Andolino said during a recent airport tour.

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"Everyone" includes a dwindling but vigilant number of opponents to O'Hare expansion, led by Elk Grove Village and Bensenville. Bensenville stands to lose 611 properties.

The hope had been to start runway construction after getting Federal Aviation Administration approval in fall 2005. Instead Chicago was quickly hit with the first of many court actions by expansion opponents aimed at halting the project.

Pegged at $6.6 billion originally, the price of the O'Hare Modernization Program now is more than $8 billion, to be paid through federal grants, ticket fees, loans backed by airport revenue such as gate fees and possibly third-party financing.

But despite the odds, on Sept. 25 the city expects to open an extension of Runway 10/28 that will mean a 13,000-foot stretch capable of handling the heaviest jets, including flights bound for Asia that require a substantial length of runway. On Nov. 20, the new runway at O'Hare's north end is scheduled to go into service.

Last week, the city convened an open house for designers interested in bidding on the second phase of construction. It attracted 300 true believers.

"It's going to happen," said Richard Weitzel of Delta Engineering, which has already done significant work at O'Hare.

Runways the key

The O'Hare Modernization Program eliminates the existing crisscross configuration of seven runways for a more efficient layout of six parallel ones.

The changes are expected to reduce average delays of 15 to 20 minutes to a less exasperating five minutes and increase operations, now at 927,000, to 1.2 million annually.

Phase one of the project includes building two runways at opposite ends of the airport, a second air traffic control tower and a 3,000-foot runway extension.

The final phase includes another runway extension, a western terminal and two more new runways.

The project is one of three elements in the city's master plan for the airport that is projected to cost around a total of $15 billion as of 2005 estimates. It comprises the OMP, a capital improvement plan pegged at $3.6 billion and the controversial World Gateway Program estimated at $3.2 billion, which involves two more terminals.

Concrete plans

While the completion date has been a moving target, city officials now are pledging to finish the OMP by 2014, in time for the 2016 Olympics if Chicago lands the games.

Runways are the stars of the O'Hare modernization plan.

But to get to the point where they could pour concrete for the new north runway, the city's had to tackle numerous obstacles in the way. This included rerouting Willow-Higgins Creek, moving a 90-inch water main and relocating an American Airlines parking lot in the footprint of the air traffic control tower.

"These are all things that impact the program, but it's still moving," Andolino said.

Standing 269 feet tall, the facility has 440 square feet of floor space and will be where five air traffic controllers will oversee plane landings and takeoffs.

Floor to ceiling windows with 2-inch thick glass were hoisted up by crane in April in the early morning hours when winds are calmer.

"If one of the pieces went awry there would be a six-month delay," Andolino said.

The tower is on an expedited 14-month schedule. Other towers, such as one at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., took two to three years to build, project engineers said.

On the ground, work crews are compacting one of two layers of asphalt laid on the new, north runway. They'll be topped off with 15 inches of concrete.

Both ends of the runway are already in shape but the center section is too close for comfort to existing Runway 14/32. To accommodate the work and still use the runway, the length of runway 14/32 temporarily has been reduced from 10,000 feet to 8,050 feet.

Completion is set for July and the FAA is expecting to start conducting flight checks on the new runway in August.

FAA officials are installing computer systems in the tower now. Spokesman Tony Molinaro said the agency was cautiously optimistic the tower technology would be ready by mid-November.

There are some uncertainties whether the ground radar system for the tower will be fully operational by Nov. 20.

If the radar is delayed, the north tower can switch to the main tower's ground radar system, which picks up 90 percent of the north runway, Molinaro said.

Another question is whether special equipment to help pilots land in bad weather will be installed at both ends of the runway -- for optimum effect -- by the deadline.

The FAA expects those issues to be solved early next year, officials said.

Construction zone

The city has invited President Bush to inaugurate the north runway in Air Force One. But even if the event gets that big of a christening, it doesn't mean delays drop instantly.

The runway and extension will only mean a 4 percent decrease in backups. However, once the airport's second new runway is built on the south side, that should reduce delays by 36 percent.

But building Runway 10-Center is proving more problematic than its northern counterpart because it's adjacent to a huge chunk of Bensenville properties the city says are necessary for the OMP.

So far, Chicago owns 552 homes and businesses out of 611 properties in the acquisition zone -- 534 sites are vacant.

Plans call for moving Union Pacific Railroad tracks into the neighborhood to make way for 10-Center and the extension of Runway 10/28.

Since city crews can't touch "a piece of dirt" in Bensenville while the litigation goes on, Andolino said, the plan's been modified to allow interim relocation of the railway on airport property.

The cost is another $15 million.

"These are challenges you deal with when dealing with litigation," Andolino said.

Another roadblock facing the city is St. Johannes Cemetery. Located in the path of 10-Center are 1,200 graves. The cemetery's owners and Bensenville are suing on ground of religious freedom in the state and federal courts, although one of the legal challenges hit a setback in May when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

"It's a sensitive process," Andolino said. "We're feeling the challenges with the cemetery -- these are all things that impact the program -- but it's still moving."

Right now, while grading work is being done on the project, the extension of Runway 10/28 by 3,000 feet is ahead of schedule.

Because they're working on an active runway, coordinating efforts with the FAA and air traffic controllers is essential.

"It's a controlled air space, you can't just stick a 120-foot crane in the air if the winds are not conducive," project engineer Alan Dadian said, standing in the construction zone as jet after jet lands above his head.

Workers also have to ensure no construction debris gets onto the active part of the runway.

"We have to maintain an active airport here and minimize the impact to existing operations," Andolino said.