Will western access to O’Hare be a ‘wow’ or a ‘wah-wah? Suburban leaders want more than a parking lot

With 16 ramps spanning roads and railroads and leading into the west side of O’Hare, the momentous $340 million Route 390/I-490 interchange will alter regional travel forever.

There’s just one hitch.

Don’t plan to breeze into the airport from the west and catch a flight when the interchange is completed in 2027.

Instead, access is expected to be limited to airport employees only, with plans for a parking structure, security screening and transport, city officials have said.

“For me and a lot of stakeholders, a parking lot should only be the beginning,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said at a Jan. 8 site tour of the Illinois tollway project. “We want to see more.”

Currently, “for me to get to O’Hare,” the Schaumburg resident added, “I need to go into the city and come back west. I have to go east to come back west ... that makes no sense.”

Western access to the nation’s second busiest airport and a western terminal have been part of a decades-long holy grail for nearby suburbs.

But under previous Chicago mayors, airport leaders have maintained it will be employee access first with passenger facilities to come based on market demand.

It’s eight months since Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was sworn in.

Asked about western access, the Chicago Department of Aviation had a nuanced response.

“The I-490 highway under construction by the Illinois tollway will provide vastly improved connectivity to O’Hare’s north, south, and western boundaries as it diverts other traffic, with a complete beltline around O’Hare,” spokesman Kevin Bargnes said.

“The construction of this highway is a key component of the commitment the city made to its western neighbors when the O’Hare Modernization Program was launched more than 20 years ago.”

He noted that the tollway project “includes significant site preparation work on airport property for future development on the western border of O'Hare.

“However, the scope, phasing, and funding for development along O'Hare's western boundary remains a matter of active discussion with the airport's many partners and stakeholders, including the airlines and local community leaders,” Bargnes said.

Suburban leaders contend western access to O’Hare won’t just revolutionize getting to the airport, it will trigger an economic boom.

Krishnamoorthi and others support passenger access and baggage handling at the new entrance, and eventually a western terminal.

“We're working with the new administration and Chicago Department of Aviation to get a better sense of timing and how they see their vision unfolding for this area,” Krishnamoorthi said last week.

Key players in any decision include airport stakeholders American and United airlines.

Historically, the carriers aren’t fans of a western terminal and currently they’re concerned about the cost of the city’s massive O’Hare 21 terminal redo.

The airlines have warned O’Hare 21 could be $2 billion over budget. If that happens, the companies fear operating at O’Hare will become more expensive, which could be passed onto passengers and compromise the airport’s status as a major connecting hub.

And for the record, Route 390 (formerly the Elgin O’Hare Expressway) stretches from Lake Street in Hanover Park to Route 83. It will link with I-490, another toll road. When it’s finished, I-490 will run along O’Hare’s west side and connect with the Jane Addams tollway near Des Plaines and the Tri-State near Franklin Park.

Got a comment? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

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One more thing

The CTA’s Yellow Line is back in service after a crash Nov. 16 between a train and snowplow. The collision caused injuries and closed the line for a National Transportation Safety Board investigation that continues.

With reopening, the CTA has instituted reduced speeds of 35 mph instead of 55 mph and power-washed the rails after debris was spotted near the crash. In addition, the agency “added an extra layer of communication and protection,” for equipment such as snowplows.