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Old Posted Sep 29, 2005, 2:01 PM
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Cool CHICAGO: ORD & MDW discussion

Daley wins OK for O'Hare makeover

September 29, 2005

BY MARK J. KONKOL AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporters


Mayor Daley's plan for O'Hare Airport's grand expansion has been cleared for takeoff, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The Federal Aviation Administration is set to announce its final approval of the multimillion-dollar airfield makeover Friday, sources said.

In July, the FAA called Daley's plan -- which calls for reconfiguring the airfield to include six parallel runways -- the best plan to reduce delays with the least negative environmental effects even though it gobbles more land, homes, businesses and affects more minority residents than any other proposal.

Opponents plan court battle

Friday's announcement will likely be followed by formal groundbreaking, the rumble of bulldozers and speedy court challenge, not necessarily in that order.

O'Hare expansion director Rosemarie Andolino declined to comment Wednesday.

Expansion opponents said they expected the ruling and are readying an immediate court appearance to ask a judge to halt any construction.

"The whole process was tainted, and the FAA did not comply with required laws. We will do whatever it takes to get a chance to make those points . . . in front of an unbiased judge," said Wade Nelson, spokesman for Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.

City O'Hare land acquisition attorney Michael Snyderman has said suburban opponents have a difficult burden of proof to get a judge to delay construction.

Economics trumped politics

Before learning of the FAA's decision, Daley talked about the significance of the biggest public works project in Illinois history -- and how the economics of the project trumped politics.

"It started out as a political issue. Democrats who ran for governor and Republicans took a pledge: 'I will not expand O'Hare Field.' . . . Then, it became a business/economic issue. . . . If you can't expand O'Hare Field, how can you expand economic opportunities?' " Daley said.

"It broke down the Republican/Democrat, liberal/conservative, city vs. suburban area."

In 2001, Daley cut a deal with former Gov. George Ryan that broke the decadeslong stalemate over new runways at O'Hare, then developed an expansion plan more comprehensive than anyone in Chicago politics could have imagined.

After waiting years for FAA approval, Daley has promised to break ground on the project immediately.
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