Locations and Size Chicago Airports

                 From North to South

Airport Size in Square Miles

O'Hare_________11.3

Midway_________1.0

South Suburban__8.5 +- Initial airport, 26.0 +- Full build out 6 runway airport

The graphic above illustrates the size of the planned airport with Midway Airport, once the world's busiest airport and still a very busy airport. Airports such as Midway cannot be built today because of safety and environmental concerns. Modern airports require very large buffers and distance from residential areas, hence the enormous size of the new airport.

Planning and land purchase continues for the Third Airport for Chicago. Planning for the airport has been underway for over forty years. My wife and I worked on this issue for many years.

It is of course very controversial. Many of the people who live in or near the site are of course very opposed. Other people see the airport as the economic engine for the south side of Chicago.

The area is at the south end of the Chicago developed metro area, bounded by Crete, University Park, Monee, Peotone, and Beecher. I-57 is on the west side, I-294/Rt 1 on the east side, and the new I-355 Tollway would be on the north side.

A considerable amount of land has been acquired for the initial airport. It will not be developed until the economic recovery creates additional demand for air traffic. O'Hare and Midway are of course very busy and congested and Chicago is the major Hub for the United States.

I prepared the Land Use Plan Map above. The Plan is a mosaic of the plans of Will and Kankakee County and the Villages of Crete, Monee, University Park, Peotone, Beecher, Manteno, and Grant Park.

The web sites below tell more about the airport.

http://www.southsuburbanairport.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_Chicago_south_suburban_airport

http://www.suntimes.com/news/14080173-418/top-idot-official-says-third-airport-will-be-built.html