Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials were joined by senators and representatives from United and American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the announcement.
The plan includes a new runway, de-icing pads and other airfield projects, paving the way for further improvements that will allow O'Hare to increase the number of gates and modernise the terminals.
The new runway - scheduled to be commissioned in 2020 - will be used for arriving and departing aircraft. The 3,425m-long, 61m-wide runway will be the second largest at O'Hare. It will be used to balance the capacity of the north airfield with that of the south airfield, providing increased flexibility for east and west flow operations, as well as balancing noise exposure for residents. The city also plans to ensure that sound insulation of all eligible homes and schools will be carried out before the runway opens. The cost of construction of the runway is US$648.5m.
O'Hare's airfield also will receive a centralised de-icing facility to increase the efficiency of the current de-icing operations.
In addition, a new crossfield taxiway system will be constructed to connect the north and south airfields.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
