Skip to content
Go to Home Page
News

Chicago O'Hare pedestrian tunnels are getting an upgrade

Benét J. Wilson
Benét J. Wilson
Contributor
Benét, known as the Aviation Queen, is a former senior editor at TPG who is best known for being an aviation journalist for 25-plus years. Her love affair with travel and aviation began at age 6, when her Air Force family moved from California to a military base outside of London. The family flew from JFK to London on a pretty new Pan Am 747. She was amazed when, in 1992, she got her first aviation journalism job.
Oct. 26, 2019
•
2 min read
Screen Shot 2019-10-26 at 9.47.44 AM
Chicago O'Hare pedestrian tunnels are getting an upgrade
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

TPG Executive Editorial Director Scott Mayerowitz was in Chicago last week for United Airlines' annual media day. As he waited for his flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), he snapped the photo, below.

Photo by Scott Mayerowitz / The Points Guy

As mentioned in the "Coming Soon" sign above, local engineering and design firm Epstein has been tapped by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which manages O'Hare and Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), to oversee the construction of new and upgraded tunnels, originally constructed in 1977.

Leaks in the tunnels during heavy rains has caused damage that forced CDA to repeatedly close tunnels for maintenance, taking a toll on the tunnel interiors. After putting out a request for bids in August 2019, CDA awarded a contract to Epstein to fix the tunnels and give them a theme inspired by the city of Chicago.

Related reading: Upgrades Coming to Chicago O'Hare as Terminal 5 Construction Begins

The construction company did a major evaluation of the airport's seven pedestrian tunnels including 3-D laser scanning surveys of the tunnel interiors and investigating the potential source of water infiltration. Once that was completed, Epstein began working on systems including:

  • Replacing failed or collapsed storm sewers systems
  • Replacing deteriorated sidewalk surfaces in the Terminal areas
  • Replacing tunnel architectural wall and ceiling finishes
  • Replacing concrete walls and ceilings
  • Replacing existing architectural finishes and doing architectural renovations
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Epstein's architects worked with the CDA on the tunnel design. Each tunnel's theme will follow the same color scheme of the terminals they are leading to, according to the firm. Terminal 1 will have blue gradient wallpaper and images of the Chicago skyline, lake, river and flag. Terminal 2 will have orange gradient wallpaper with images from the Chicago Theater District. Terminal 3 will have green gradient wallpaper with images from the city's parks and green roofs.

The project is part of O'Hare 21, the city's $8.5 billion project that includes the new O'Hare Global Terminal, expected to open in 2028.

Featured image by Image courtesy of Epstein