Construction on new passenger terminals at O’Hare International Airport can begin now that the Federal Aviation Administration has completed the project’s environmental review, officials said.
The FAA announced Monday that its review analyzing the Chicago Department of Aviation’s projects was completed and concluded that the project posed no significant threat to any environmental resources – including noise, air quality, water resources, and historic sites.
“Chicago’s transportation infrastructure is what makes this city an economic powerhouse of global importance,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Now, as we prepare to break ground on O’Hare’s newest terminal, Chicago and this entire region will be positioned to grow and create good-paying jobs through the benefits of first-rate infrastructure, beginning with the construction project itself.”
The project includes new terminals, on-airport hotels, airfield and taxiway improvements, and support facilities.
The project will utilize some of the more than $73 million made available to O’Hare as part of President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Midway International Airport in Chicago will receive more than $20 million in the first year of the BIL. Officials said the FAA operates three air traffic control towers at O’Hare, managing more than 700,000 annual arrivals and departures on eight runways at the airport.