Chicago O'Hare Opens a New Runway to Ease Congestion

Oct. 22, 2015

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2 min read

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Traveling through O'Hare might get a bit easier this fall with the opening of the airport's newest runway and air traffic control tower. The new addition brings the active runway count up to eight, and is the fifth of six total planned parallel runways that will allow ATC to move traffic faster through the airport — and hopefully reduce delays for travelers.

The Chicago Department of Aviation says that the new runway, 10R-28L, should positively impact both arrivals and departures, especially in poor weather conditions — the airport should see a 25% increase in good-weather arrival rates and a 40% increase in poor-weather arrivals. This is the newest runway at O'Hare since 2013, and 10R-28L will primarily be used for arrivals. ORD spent a total of $516 million to build the runway and its connecting taxiway.

Ohare-aerial — An aerial view of O'Hare International Airport. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

New York-JFK is also aiming to open another runway later this year. A project to reconstruct and rehabilitate one of the airport's northeast/southwest runways began in 2014, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

If you still happen to be stuck in Chicago after a long delay or cancellation, there's plenty to keep you occupied in and around the airport. For more on your next flight to Chicago, check out our guide to maximizing points and miles in the Windy City.

H/T: USA Today

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