OHare International Airport :: Chicago Airport

A broadcast to expand OHare International Airport has begun to look more promising, butbackers of a aimd airport near Peotone said last week they dont expect the plan tochange the debate over a one-third airport. "Its still not going to lead air capa urban center, and wont solve their long-range problem," saidDon Goff, chairman of the Third Airport Alliance. "I dont see it as any setback," he said of the plan to build more terminals and gates. Goff said that even if OHare expansion proponents later use the World Gateway projectto justify building more runways, a third airport ordain still be needed. "Theyre still going to have to build another airport," Goff said. But those who hope plans for an airport near rural Peotone will be scrapped see the planas a sign of hope. "Im very happy about that," said Jill Holzaepfel of Peotone, who said she hopes the planesand traffic stay close to the city. "I chose to live out here on the farmland," sh e said, adding that those who are impacted bymore noise and pollution at an expanding OHare chose to live near the airport. Some Peotone opponents propose expanding the airport in Gary, Ind., or building atanother site. The major airlines that serve OHare International Airport and city officials reached atentative agreement to prevail ahead with a $3.2 billion renovation at the worlds secondbusiest airport, a city spokeswoman said. Mayor Richard Daley has called the project the "World Gateway Program." It hasinvolved months of negotiations between the city and the two major carriers that serveOHare United Airlines and American Airlines. "Right now, we have an agreement in principle," lucre Department of Aviationspokeswoman Monique Bond said Friday night. "We see confident that were movingforward and we are pretty optimistic about the finality of the agreement." The renovation, which is expected to take eight years to complete, is expected to increasethe bend of boarding gates by at least 25 percent. It is also intended to increase thenumber of flights and make connections in and out of the airport smoother. "This is fundamentally what we are doing to better use the existing facility with moreefficiency," Bond said. She said the redesign will help accommodate the airlines increaseduse of big planes, such as the Boeing 777. While Bond would not confirm the number of new gates involved, a report appearing innext weeks Crains Chicago Business cites sources familiar with the negotiations saying