O'Hare Opens New $516 Million Runway
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new runway was christened at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, the fifth east-west parallel runway at the big airport.
Runway 10R/28L at the south end of the airfield cost $516 million. Some local officials said it won't be used enough to justify the cost, and complained it will bring flight noise over new neighborhoods, but deputy FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said it would improve overall air traffic flow at O'Hare.
"With this new runway, and this is a really important feature of this, the hourly arrival rate for the airport's east flow will be equal to the west flow, so when the wind changes in Chicago – which it does – we won't lose any efficiency. So those delays that happen from that particular weather will be eliminated," he said.
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Airport officials said the new runway will handle more than 9 percent of O'Hare arrivals.
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the new runway is a win-win for the region.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the ongoing modernization of O'Hare keeps Chicago moving forward.
"The modernization of O'Hare, the investment in O'Hare, not only the jobs of building it – as Ray noted – but the jobs that will come, allow Chicago to stay at that pace as a world class city on a world stage.," he said.
