While most passengers gaze out of their windows and see the tarmac while on a plane at O’Hare International Airport, some will now be greeted by piles of dirt and machinery — the construction site of the future Concourse D, a long-awaited addition to one of the country’s biggest airports.
The construction site will eventually be part of the new “O’Hare Global Terminal.” The new concourse is expected to be completed by late 2028 and include 19 new gates for passengers. Construction comes seven years after then-mayor Rahm Emanuel first negotiated the expansion and is the largest expansion in the airport’s history, according to its website.
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The $8.2 billion plan also includes constructing a second concourse that will serve as a satellite location known as Concourse E. The two concourses will connect via a tunnel, similar to the existing tunnels within O’Hare with colorful lights and a reflective ceiling.
The project broke ground in August. Two months later, the majority of the work is not necessarily being done on the job site. There are preliminary changes that need to be completed before the terminal can be built, known as “enabling work,” according to Georgiaree Godfrey, the director of public information at the Chicago Department of Aviation.
A majority of the construction taking place on Saturday was enabling work, specifically at the airport’s central and south water basins, which act as a retention pond for water flow. The airport is eliminating its central basin and filling it in to ensure there’s enough room for the new terminal and its utilities, like heating and cooling. Additionally, crews are working on expanding the south basin to accommodate more water flow, Godfrey said.
Construction ideally will not slow operations down at the airport and they are not expecting to lose the use of any gates, O’Hare officials said. The new terminal is designed to help alleviate pressure on the existing international Terminal 5, Godfrey said, with 18 out of the 19 new gates in Concourse D being “flex gates” that can accommodate different-sized aircraft for domestic and international flights.
“This way, it allows for more connectivity and allows people to land in other terminals, and so (Terminal 5) no longer has to be strictly the international terminal,” Godfrey said. “That’s why it’s the O’Hare Global Terminal, because of the connectivity to the other terminals.”
The construction comes as multiple airlines have recently engaged in legal battles over gate space at the airport, resulting in the addition of five gate spaces for United Airlines’ use and the removal of four from American Airlines.
Talia Soglin contributed to this report.