CHICAGO: ORD & MDW discussion

[Mr Man]

Here's one that puts it all together



On this map if you look close enough you can see the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, The O'Hare Ring Road, and Terminals 4 (by Terminal 5) and Terminal 6 (on york rd).

[ih8spires]

Thank you K0512 and Mr. Mann. That did a lot toward clearing things up for me. I am a pilot based out of ORD and all the different names for all the different terminals even had me confused.

[2PRUROCKS!]

Mr Man or anyone else in the know...I am a bit confused by the O'Hare terminal plans. I thought the new western terminal would be terminal 7. Also are these plans, maps and renderings Mr Man has provided the current plan? I noticed that the first two pdf. files that Mr Man posted seemed old. The first on appeared to have been a terminal plan from before Sept. 11, 2001 and the second seemed to be last updated in 2004?

[Mr Man]

Its still maybe a year off, so any plans are preliminary. But the basics are the same. There will be a METRA station at the new Western Terminal since the tracks already exist. I say Terminal 6, but I guess they can call it whatever they want at the end of the day.

That road map from the Village of Des Plaines provides an acurate description of everything that's being planned.

So two new major highways
two new terminal buildings
two more runways
and a metra station at the western terminal/gateway

[10023]

In merger news...

Crain's is reporting that United and Delta are in talks about a combination. The combined entity would be headquartered in Chicago and have its operations base (maintenance, etc) at Atlanta Hartsfield.

[jpIllInoIs]

Originally Posted by 10023

In merger news...

Crain's is reporting that United and Delta are in talks about a combination. The combined entity would be headquartered in Chicago and have its operations base (maintenance, etc) at Atlanta Hartsfield.

I this deal, Indianapolis is a net loser.. of UAL maintenance jobs..

[10023]

Originally Posted by jpIllInoIs

I this deal, Indianapolis is a net loser.. of UAL maintenance jobs..

On further reading, that's not necessarily true. Here's the quote:

"The exact financial details of the transaction being discussed are not clear. But the talks involve United being the name of the combined airlines, the headquarters staying in Chicago and Delta's Atlanta hub being an operational center for the two carriers, the official said. One possible scenario involves Delta CEO Richard Anderson being the chief of the combined airline, the official said."

The "an" may be key. This may just mean that the hubs will be Chicago, Atlanta and Denver, as United is currently in Chicago and Denver and Delta is in Atlanta. Or they may be moving everything to Atlanta. In any merger you have to justify the combination with cost savings to create synergy, so if they decide they don't need 3 hubs, or Delta has lots of excess capacity in Atlanta (which may be the case, because there's a lot more room there than around O'Hare), they may move some of UAL's ops to Atlanta. Or this may just mean that they won't be shutting down the Atlanta operation, which I'd never expect anyway.

[the urban politician]

Now they're completely denying that any merger talks have occurred.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Mr Man

Its still maybe a year off, so any plans are preliminary. But the basics are the same. There will be a METRA station at the new Western Terminal since the tracks already exist. I say Terminal 6, but I guess they can call it whatever they want at the end of the day.

That road map from the Village of Des Plaines provides an acurate description of everything that's being planned.

So two new major highways
two new terminal buildings
two more runways
and a metra station at the western terminal/gateway

Worth noting that the city is currently accepting bids for consulting on extensions to the airport transit system. Presumably this would include extensions on both ends, to the O'hare Transfer Metra and to the west terminals.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by Mr Man

Here's one that puts it all together



On this map if you look close enough you can see the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, The O'Hare Ring Road, and Terminals 4 (by Terminal 5) and Terminal 6 (on york rd).

Oh hell yeah, this roadway expansion added to the modernization plan just gang rapes those two little pisshole suburbs of Bensinville and Elk Shit Village. I am in support of it for that reason alone. Icing on the cake would be all the lost tax revenue and legal fees from the O'hare expansion and roadway ROW forcing the two towns to disolve their governments and annex to Chicago.

[Rail Claimore]

Folks, that rendering is old. Proposed terminal 4, not shown on the map, would be directly adjacent to terminal 3 (it would be where the current infrastructure-building is located), and terminal 6 directly to the east of terminal 5. Also, the location of the proposed O'Hare Ring Road was drawn in by the Suburban O'Hare Commission as a paranoia ploy by Bitchin'ville and Elk Grove Garbage. Every other proposal has the Ring Road directly adjacent to the tracks.

Here's a more accurate rendering of the future airport. New terminals are in dark blue:

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Folks, that rendering is old. Proposed terminal 4, not shown on the map, would be directly adjacent to terminal 3 (it would be where the current infrastructure-building is located), and terminal 6 directly to the east of terminal 5. Also, the location of the proposed O'Hare Ring Road was drawn in by the Suburban O'Hare Commission as a paranoia ploy by Bitchin'ville and Elk Grove Garbage. Every other proposal has the Ring Road directly adjacent to the tracks.

Here's a more accurate rendering of the future airport. New terminals are in dark blue:

Looks like the approach to 4L goes right over the new terminal building? That doesn't seem wise.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Proposed terminal 4, not shown on the map, would be directly adjacent to terminal 3 (it would be where the current infrastructure-building is located),

That's not accurate anymore - go back one page. Earlier this week OMP made a press release stating that, because of major cost savings, the HVAC-infrastructure building will not move. Heated steam and chilled water for HVAC will simply be transported to the new terminals by creating long pipelines underneath the tarmacs and runways. The plans for Terminal 4 are being re-evaluated, and the terminal may be built next to the infrastructure building, if it is built at all.

[nomarandlee]

Actually I think Rail Claimore is right. Look at the date for that article you are talking about (2/04). All that had to do with the World Gateway stuff which is difference then OMP. OMP just includes the new West Termina, road and ATS system expansions,l and the rearranging of runways.

Eventually I think the World Gateway program (addling adjacent terminals 4 and 6) may happen after the OMP but it is not I believe part of the same package.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Looks like the approach to 4L goes right over the new terminal building? That doesn't seem wise.

Except that landings won't use 4L. What's likely is that the runway will be used for landing operations on 22R (opposite direction) by smaller aircraft when prevailing wind directions on 27R make it undesirable given the alternative. On the south airfield, 22L will have a similar function and be used primarily for take-offs as an alternative to 28L.

[Go7SD]

Right now I'm sitting in my truck parked at the eastbound side of the Oasis service plaza off I 90. I see there is a control tower being built right next to the American Airlines maintenance hangar located on the northside of the airport. Does anyone know what this tower will be used for? Will it replace the current one?

[2PRUROCKS!]

That is the North airfield air traffic control tower. It will not replace the current ones but is needed to provide visibility for the north runway currently under construction. The current controls towers can't view this new runway.

[Grego43]

Looking at what will be the new runway alignments, I would be awesome (if money grew on trees) to build all new linear concourses straight down the alley...same design as the West Terminal, or ATL with a massive terminal complex at the East and West ends.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by Grego43

Looking at what will be the new runway alignments, I would be awesome (if money grew on trees) to build all new linear concourses straight down the alley...same design as the West Terminal, or ATL with a massive terminal complex at the East and West ends.

I would not be surprised to see something like that take shape at O'Hare in the long-run... long being the key word here. The current terminal complex has at least a good 20-30 years left.

[Mr Man]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

I would not be surprised to see something like that take shape at O'Hare in the long-run... long being the key word here. The current terminal complex has at least a good 20-30 years left.

I gotta agree. I'm sure someone at O'Hare took note of Hartsfield-Jackson. They both handle a similar amount of passengers per year, but Atlanta's layout is so much easier to get around. O'Hare is an absolute nightmare.