OHare International Airport :: Chicago Airport

A plan to expand OHare International Airport has begun to look more than promising, butbackers of a proposed airport near Peotone express last week they dont expect the plan tochange the debate over a third airport. "Its still not going to add air capacity, and wont straighten by their long-range problem," saidDon Goff, chairman of the Third Airport Alliance. "I dont try it as any setback," he said of the plan to build more terminals and supply. Goff said that even if OHare expansion proponents later use the World Gateway projectto justify building more runways, a third airport result still be needed. "Theyre still going to have to build another airport," Goff said. But those who hope plans for an airport near rural Peotone will be scrapped see the planas a sign of hope. "Im very happy about that," said Jill Holzaepfel of Peotone, who said she hopes the planesand traffic stay close to the city. "I chose to live out here on the farmland,&quo t she said, adding that those who are impacted bymore noise and pollution at an expanding OHare chose to live near the airport. Some Peotone opponents propose expanding the airport in Gary, Ind., or building atanother site. The major(ip) airlines that serve OHare International Airport and city officials reached atentative agreement to move ahead with a $3.2 billion renovation at the worlds secondbusiest airport, a city spokeswoman said. Mayor Richard Daley has called the project the "World Gateway Program." It hasinvolved months of negotiations between the city and the two major carriers that serveOHare United Airlines and American Airlines. "Right now, we have an agreement in principle," Chicago Department of Aviationspokeswoman Monique Bond said Friday night. "We feel confident that were locomoteforward and we are pretty optimistic about the finality of the agreement." The renovation, which is expected to take eight years to complete, is expected to incre asethe number of boarding gates by at least 25 percent. It is also intended to increase thenumber of flights and make connections in and out of the airport smoother. "This is basically what we are doing to expose use the existing facility with moreefficiency," Bond said. She said the redesign will help accommodate the airlines increaseduse of larger planes, such as the Boeing 777. While Bond would not confirm the number of new gates involved, a report appearing innext weeks Crains Chicago Business cites sources long-familiar with the negotiations saying