Motorists driving on Green Bay Road just north of Yorkhouse Road in Waukegan are used to seeing airplanes flying in and out of Waukegan National Airport. In a few years, they will be driving under the runway as jets take off overhead.
A new, longer runway is a goal airport officials have sought for several years, and which is now getting closer to taking off itself as studies and negotiations are underway leading to potential approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Airport officials and their partners are currently completing an environmental assessment for release this spring, leading to a public hearing by the FAA this summer and approval from the agency by the end of the year so detailed planning for the project can begin.
Skip Goss, the airport’s general manager, said he anticipates the first shovel in the ground in 2026 on the $186 million construction of a 7,000-foot runway. It will run parallel to the existing 6,000-foot runway, keeping the airport open during the three years of construction.
“The runway is at the end of its useful life,” Goss said. “It can’t meet current FAA code. This will keep the airport viable for the next 50 years. The new one will have a runway safety area 1,000 feet from each end in case of overruns. We don’t have that now.”
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Goss said he anticipates the project will start in 2026 at about the same time the Illinois Department of Transportation begins its widening effort of Green Bay Road. The road will dip where it approaches the airport as planes go over the bridge as part of their landing or takeoff.
“The runway will go over Green Bay Road,” Goss said. “Now the runway ends at the fence.”
Finding space for the new runway and safety zone at each end requires more land. Goss said the Waukegan Port District, which owns the airport, plans to purchase about 52 acres from the Lake County Forest Preserves District in the Waukegan Savannah southwest of the airport.
Angelo Kyle, the president of the forest preserves district, said airport officials will oversee environmental improvements to the forest preserve land it will acquire. Those changes benefit the entire area, he said.
“Improving the environment is a litmus test for everything we do,” Kyle said. “We wouldn’t agree without it. It’s one of the first things we look at.”
Once the land is transferred to the port district, Goss said the savanna area will be returned to its natural state. A trail will be built as part of a path connecting the Des Plaines River Trail to the pathways in the northeast parts of Lake County.
“We’re going to clear the invasive species like the buckthorn and add natural plantings to return it to its natural savanna state,” Goss said.
Once FAA approval is secured, the port district will buy the forest preserve land along with 34 other properties and six businesses. Goss said the nearby property and business owners are aware of the acquisition plans.
Of the $186 million needed to complete the project, Goss said the money will come from federal and state funds, as well as airport user fees. The port district has never levied taxes on residents.
Goss said the new runway will not significantly alter the airport’s function or use, with approximately 80% propeller-driven planes and 20% jets. There are around 20,500 takeoffs and landings a year. There will be no passenger or cargo service. Noise levels will remain similar.
Not everyone is a fan of the project.
Former Waukegan Mayor Bill Morris said he would rather see the resources go toward improvements for Waukegan’s public schools and the city’s capital projects, instead of enabling “nonstop flights to Asia.”
“This is misguided,” he said. “This money should be spent on the future of our children and their educational projects. This is taking 52 acres of land out of (our) open space.”
Morris said the money should come from the owners of the private jets. He also does not understand why Waukegan needs a longer runway than Chicago Midway Airport. Goss said Midway is landlocked. The length is what is now required by the FAA for safety.
Along with adding the new runway as a safety improvement, the project will continue to keep the airport a vital part of the Lake County business community, officials said. Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said in an email the airport is a financial benefit for the area.
“Our airport is a critical economic engine for Lake County and the greater Chicago area, generating an estimated $181 million in economic activity annually, supporting 900 jobs and providing valuable services for private, corporate, business, executive and government aircraft,” she said.
Kyle said he also likes the economic benefits, along with the environmental and recreational ones. The airport brings travelers from around the country and across the world to the area.
“This benefits the forest preserves district and all of Lake County,” Kyle said. “It’s a huge economic shot in the arm for the county.”
Kevin Considine, the president and CEO of Lake County Partners, said the airport helps small businesses as well as large corporations. Many of the county’s Fortune 500 businesses keep jets there.
“It has a real impact economically,” Considine said. “It helps first responders. The military uses it and there are two flight schools. If we’re going to continue to be (economically) vibrant we have make sure we allow it to stay open.”