OHare International Airport :: Chicago Airport

A plan to expand O'Hare International Airport has begun to look more promising, but backers of a proposed airport near Peotone said last week they don't expect the plan to change the debate over a third airport. "It's still not going to add air capacity, and won't solve their long-range problem," said Don Goff, chairman of the Third Airport Alliance. "I don't see it as any setback," he said of the plan to build more terminals and gates. Goff said that even if O'Hare expansion proponents later use the World Gateway project to justify building more runways, a third airport will still be needed. "They're still going to have to build another airport," Goff said. But those who hope plans for an airport near rural Peotone will be scrapped see the plan as a sign of hope. "I'm very happy about that," said Jill Holzaepfel of Peotone, who said she hopes the planes and traffic stay close to the city. "I chose to live out here on the farmland," she said, adding that those who are impacted by more noise and pollution at an expanding O'Hare chose to live near the airport. Some Peotone opponents propose expanding the airport in Gary, Ind., or building at another site. The major airlines that serve O'Hare International Airport and city officials reached a tentative agreement to move ahead with a $3.2 billion renovation at the world's second busiest airport, a city spokeswoman said. Mayor Richard Daley has called the project the "World Gateway Program." It has involved months of negotiations between the city and the two major carriers that serve O'Hare — United Airlines and American Airlines. "Right now, we have an agreement in principle," Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Monique Bond said Friday night. "We feel confident that we're moving forward and we are pretty optimistic about the finality of the agreement." The renovation, which is expected to take eight years to complete, is expected to increase the number of boarding gates by at least 25 percent. It is also intended to increase the number of flights and make connections in and out of the airport smoother. "This is basically what we are doing to better use the existing facility with more efficiency," Bond said. She said the redesign will help accommodate the airlines' increased use of larger planes, such as the Boeing 777. While Bond would not confirm the number of new gates involved, a report appearing in next week's Crain's Chicago Business cites sources familiar with the negotiations saying