Durbin, Daley Announce 20-Year Agreement with Federal Aviation Administration to Occupy New O'Hare Control Tower

Press Release

Durbin, Daley Announce 20-Year Agreement with Federal Aviation Administration to Occupy New O'Hare Control Tower

The City of Chicago has signed a 20-year agreement for the Federal Aviation Administration Agency to occupy the North Air Traffic Control Tower now under construction as part of the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP), U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin and Mayor Richard M. Daley announced today.

The agreement will allow Chicago to recover $42.3 million it spent building the tower and will allow it to complete the construction of the tower in time for the successful commissioning of the new runway 9L/27R, which is scheduled for November of this year.

"This agreement is good for the FAA, good for the City of Chicago, and good for our nation's air travelers," Durbin said. "We now have a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower as part of a modernization project that will help reduce delays and congestion while increasing safety and capacity."

"As we all know, O'Hare International Airport is the engine of the Chicago area economy and our connection to the rest of the world. O'Hare is the key to securing Chicago's future role as a transportation center and a major force in the global economy," Daley said at a news conference with Illinois U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin held at O'Hare.

"Without Senator Durbin's assistance, we wouldn't have this agreement," Daley said.

Daley said Chicago must be both a transportation center and a force in the global economy if it is going to keep moving forward as the kind of place where people want to live, work and raise a family.

"The OMP will move people and goods more efficiently, create additional growth opportunities for area businesses and new jobs for residents throughout the region," Daley said.

"It will add $18 billion in annual economic activity and no state or taxpayer dollars will be used to fund it," he said.

In addition, the OMP has developed a nationally-recognized program that incorporates sustainable principles into virtually every facet of design and construction. The Base Building of the new tower will feature a vegetated green roof of approximately 10,000 square feet -- the first of its kind in the country.

When it's completed, the modernized O'Hare will be one of the most environmentally friendly airports in the world, Daley said.

The OMP has received federal approval, has funding in place, and construction continues on both the North and South Airfields. Up to $540 million in construction contracts will be advertised in the next year.

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