Chicago's O’Hare International Airport is set to receive a financial boost for improvements, with Mayor Brandon Johnson announcing an additional $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Airport Terminal Program, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This latest infusion increases the total federal funding earmarked for O'Hare to $110 million over three years. Emphasizing the airport's significance, Mayor Johnson said, "Our city's largest economic engine not only employs tens of thousands of our residents — it connects more than 70 million travelers to our city and beyond each and every year," according to a press release on the official website of the City of Chicago.
So where's all this money going? The recently announced funds will support substantial renovations, particularly to the non-secure side of Terminal 5, which is to include a pedestrian bridge linked to a new parking structure, an enclosed Airport Transit System platform and a reconfigured security screening checkpoint that's aimed at smoothing out the wrinkles in the passenger processing cloth, and these are just a few from the list of planned improvements. "With this funding, we continue to build on the tremendous expansion of Terminal 5 we opened last year by upgrading our arrivals and departures levels to greatly enhance the traveler experience," told CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee the City of Chicago's press release. The project aligns with the 2018 Airline Use and Lease Agreement provisions.
The upgrades are aimed at achieving a more seamless travel experience at O’Hare, which is considered a critical transportation hub and economic powerhouse for the city. Previous awards from the federal government's Airport Terminal Program, totaling $90 million, have been channeled into the $300 million ElevateT3 project, and the ground-breaking took place in April this year. The project's objective is to revamp the terminal facilities, enrich customer amenities, enhance security protocols, and ensure accessibility for passengers with disabilities.
Last year's renovations, including the 2022 overhaul of ten gates in Terminal 5's western wing and the addition of a new, 10-gate eastern extension that opened in 2023, laid the foundation for this current round of federal support, this support being a testament to the combined efforts of local and federal government aimed at strengthening the infrastructural backbone of the Windy City, which both visitors and residents rely on alike. Commending the collaboration that brought these funds to Chicago, Mayor Johnson expressed "deepest gratitude to the Biden-Harris Administration and the Illinois Congressional Delegation for their continued support of Chicago through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," as echoed in the City of Chicago's press release.
