Plans for $186 million Waukegan airport runway project finally could be set this year

Plans for long-sought safety improvements at Waukegan National Airport that include replacing and lengthening a runway are progressing, with key bench marks for the $186 million project expected to be reached this year.

"It's been going on forever," said Lake County Board member Diane Hewitt, whose district includes the airport. "This is the closest we've ever been."

An environmental assessment is being completed and expected to be available at the end of February for a 30-day advance review by the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

Also, forest preserve officials will be considering a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Waukegan Port District, which owns and operates the general aviation airport on the city's far north side, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The three-way agreement will summarize general terms and outline the port district's commitment to mitigate impacts on forest preserve property it needs to acquire for the runway project.

That would involve the port district's building a multiuse trail through Waukegan Savanna between Delaney and Green Bay roads, which has been on the forest district's priority list for nearly 10 years.

Overall, the airport will need to acquire 52 acres of forest preserve property, 34 other properties, six businesses and vacant land. The forest preserve land would be used for safety areas and mostly as open space.

A memorandum of understanding is required to advance the findings to a public hearing to be held by the FAA, likely in mid- to late summer. The agency is expected to announce a decision on the project sometime this fall.

"The airport is a critical part of the county's transportation infrastructure and makes a significant contribution to our local economy," said Skip Goss, general manager/director.

"The safety improvement project is required to keep the airport safe, compliant, competitive and viable for the next 50 years," he added.

The airport has two runways to handle private, corporate, business, executive and government aircraft. About 80% are smaller propeller aircraft, and 20% are jets, according to Goss. There are about 20,500 annual take offs and landings.

Airport authorities say Runway 5/23 is at the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced to meet FAA safety requirements.

Rebuilding it would not be practical because the airport would have to close for as long as three years. That significantly would reduce its economic impact in Lake County and result in a loss of users, according to the port district.

The new runway will be 7,000 feet long - about 1,000 feet longer - and meet all required federal safety laws and regulations, according to airport officials.

What is described as a safety improvement project also involves new taxiways and "safety areas" at the end of the runway that would extend the airport boundary.

A formal agreement between the forest preserve and port district will be required for the actual property sale.

"This will be one of the most important decisions we have ever made for the forest preserves," said President Angelo Kyle, who in two stints has served more than 26 years on the forest board, including the last four as president.

During an update last Monday, forest commissioners were told there will be no commercial cargo or passenger operations, no significant increase in flights and no change in the type of aircraft using the airport.

Goss said the runway replacement will not be an expansion of airport operations.

"There's still a lot more information we need to have to make an intelligent decision," Hewitt said. "How can you find that middle ground that everybody can live with the decision? I don't know if it's feasible, but that's my goal."

The estimated project cost has risen 30% from $143 million to $186 million, but commissioners were told no local taxes will be required or raised to pay for the project.

Funding will come from federal and state grants and airport user fees, according to the port district. That's expected to be finalized in 2024 with land acquisition and construction to follow assuming all approvals are forthcoming.