FAA Extras on O’Hare’s Radar

By Joseph Ryan Daily Herald Staff Writer

O’Hare will get backup radar systems, more radar operators and two new traffic control towers under a $164 million plan that adds on to a multi-billion dollar expansion now under way.

The list of tech goodies and safety enhancements is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s recently released plan to assist the $7.5 billion expansion of O’Hare in increasing flights and reducing delays.

Many of the enhancements will come on board by 2009, in the first phase of the two-phase O’Hare expansion, which will add two runways, extend others and add a new concourse on the airport’s west end.

The FAA has planned for at least a year for such enhancements, but a concrete list and cost was not publicly available until this week.

The FAA will cover about $111 million of the cost, while Chicago is expected to foot about $53 million. FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro noted that Chicago could apply for a federal grant to cover its stake.

The first visible addition at O’Hare will likely be a second control tower for the new northern runway, which is too far away for the central control tower to visually monitor, Molinaro said.

The tower is scheduled to be up by the end of 2007 in time for the opening of the new runway. A third control tower will go up for a new far southern runway closer to the 2013 completion of the expansion project.

Also, the FAA is putting in a backup radar system on O’Hare property for the first time.

Currently, if the radar system goes out, operators switch to a radar system in south suburban Tinley Park.

However, that increases delays, because the radar does not extend as far north as central O’Hare radar, Molinaro said.

As part of the expansion, which could add more than 200,000 flights a year to the airport that usually handles about 1 million annually, the FAA may also hire 40 more traffic controllers for radar stations in and surrounding O’Hare.

Since at least 2003, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has forecasted a staffing “crisis” at O’Hare area radar stations, which the union said compromised safety.

The FAA has routinely denied the claims, and Molinaro said the projected increase is only to compensate for the added flights an expanded O’Hare will draw.

Traffic controllers union representatives did not return calls late Tuesday.