FAA to fund new O'Hare control tower
The Federal Aviation Administration has committed to building a new control tower at O'Hare International Airport as part of its $800 million contribution to the expansion program.
“O'Hare is a critical transportation link for our country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in making the announcement Monday in Chicago with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Mayor Richard M. Daley. “The tower project will create jobs, spur economic development and help the airport improve efficiency for passengers.”
Durbin boasted of bringing home the bacon for Illinois as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The historic O'Hare Modernization Project has received more federal funding than any other airport-reconstruction project in history, nearly $800 million,” he said. “That remarkable federal investment fuels O'Hare's position as the economic engine for the region, solidifies Chicago's role as a global transportation hub and will pay dividends for our state and nation for years to come.”
Daley called the new tower “essential for the continued modernization of O'Hare” and “another major step forward in securing the economic future of our city, our region and our state.”
The FAA immediately committed $3.4 million for the design of what's being called the South Air Traffic Control Tower, scheduled to be up and running for the completion of the new runway 10R/28L in early 2015. That runway will be the southernmost of the six new east-west runways in the airport's expansion project. With two control towers currently operating at O'Hare, it will make three at the airport.
Durbin said the tower would contribute to increased capacity and reduced delays at the airport, along with improved operations and better safety. “And, just as important,” he added, “it means Illinoisans will have an opportunity to get back to work in good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced.”
The announcement took place as part of the Airports Going Green Conference in downtown Chicago. The O'Hare Modernization Program has been praised for its “green” design and construction.