$6 billion project to untangle O’Hare runways completed

CHICAGO — Government and airline officials gathered on Thursday to mark the completion of a $6 billion modernization project to untangle the jumble of runways that for decades made flying into and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport feel like a downtown traffic jam at rush hour. During a ceremony at the airport, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the 16-year O’Hare Modernization Project to extend two existing runways and build four new ones running side by side has made flying into and out of one of the busiest airports in the world much simpler. The modernization project is part of a larger $8.5 billion project — including the $6 billion spent on the new runways and other improvements — called O’Hare 21 that will include the construction of a massive O’Hare Global Terminal. “This means more passengers and cargo running through O’Hare, and that means more tourists and more businesses for Chicago and the Midwest,” said U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, whose suburban Chicago district includes the O’Hare runways.