Chicago City Wire

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) have announced that O’Hare International Airport will receive an additional $20 million in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airport Terminal Program. This funding, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, brings the total awarded to O'Hare to $110 million over three years.

“Our city’s largest economic engine not only employs tens of thousands of our residents — it connects more than 70 million travelers to our city and beyond each and every year,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “This additional $20 million in federal grant funding is an important investment in our infrastructure, making air travel safer, more efficient and more enjoyable for all. I extend my deepest gratitude to the Biden-Harris Administration and the Illinois Congressional Delegation for their continued support of Chicago through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Together, we are ensuring that O’Hare remains a world-class airport that meets the needs of today’s travelers while positioning us for future growth.”

The newly allocated $20 million will fund renovations on Terminal 5's non-secure side at O'Hare. Planned improvements include constructing a pedestrian bridge linking the terminal to a new parking garage, enclosing the terminal's Airport Transit System platform, enhancing passenger check-in spaces, improving circulation on arrivals and departures levels, and upgrading security screening checkpoints.

“Terminal 5 is Chicago’s gateway to the world, welcoming millions of passengers from all corners of the globe,” said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee. “With this funding, we continue to build on the tremendous expansion of Terminal 5 we opened last year by upgrading our arrivals and departures levels to greatly enhance the traveler experience. I thank Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the entire Illinois Congressional delegation, and our partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration for their ongoing support of O’Hare.”

Today's announcement adds to $90 million previously received under this program which supports projects like ElevateT3—aimed at upgrading customer amenities—and improving accessibility for disabled passengers at O'Hare Airport.

The upgrades planned for Terminal 5 were approved under an agreement from 2018 as part of ongoing improvements totaling $1.3 billion made recently including ten gates renovated last year used by Delta Air Lines along with a new eastern extension opened in 2023.