The sprawling expansion of O’Hare International Airport’s terminals took a step forward Tuesday as Mayor Brandon Johnson shared new plans for the project’s first satellite concourse. The announcement shows growing momentum on the long-awaited rebuild, which calls for replacing Terminal 2 with a new Global Terminal and adding two satellite concourses. But many questions remain about the timeline, cost and design of the delayed expansion project.
“This is a once in a generation expansion, the modernization of O’Hare,” Johnson said at a news conference. “Investing in our airports is an investment in all of our communities.” The satellite’s designs include tall, rounded ceilings, garden rest spaces and tree-like support columns designed to make visitors feel like they are “moving through an orchard,” a nod to the airport’s original name, Orchard Field, said Ryan Culligan, design principal at architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
The project was designed with tones “inspired by midwestern landscapes” and is “beautiful, impactful and practical,” he added. Early work began on the satellite last year, Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee said. Design is around 30% done on both planned satellites, the new Global Terminal and the underground tunnels that connect them with the rest of the airport, she said.
Rhee declined to share estimates on when the first satellite will be finished, citing the need to minimize disruptions for .
