Joe McConnell
Although it still has at least four years to go before it becomes a reality, travelers recently got a sneak peek at what Satellite Concourse 1 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) will look like in 2028, when the airport’s expansion and modernization project is complete.
Satellite Concourse 1 will add 19 new gates to the airport’s existing Concourse C, the third of four key milestones in the airport’s ongoing modernization project. There are also plans to build a second satellite concourse.
O’Hare International Airport is the third busiest airport in the country. There are plans to expand and modernize the airport through a project known as the O’Hare 21 Terminal Area Plan, which began in 2018. As part of the major renovation, O’Hare will build two satellite concourses, a new O’Hare Global Terminal (which will eventually replace Terminal 2), and an underground tunnel that will connect the new facilities.
In 2020, a major part of the O’Hare 21 project was completed when Runway 9C-27C, a new 2.13-mile-long, 200-foot-wide airstrip, opened. It was the last newly constructed runway in a 16-year, $6 billion project known as the O’Hare Modernization Program, led by the Chicago Department of Aviation. Runway 9C-27C cost $1 billion to build and was funded through a combination of federal airport improvement grants and airline-backed bonds, according to the CDA.
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CDA and a coalition of airlines are now funding additional components of the program.
“The City of Chicago and 21 airlines have agreed to implement the Terminal Area Plan as part of a capital program approved in conjunction with the 2018 O’Hare Airline Use and Lease Agreement, which has a term of 15 years,” a CDA spokesperson said. “The Terminal Area Plan is budgeted for $6.1 billion in 2018.”If budgets allow, the second satellite concourse will soon be built; it will connect to the first one via an underground tunnel. According to the CDA, the first satellite concourse is expected to create more than 3,800 construction jobs.
So far, several temporary taxiways and a new roadway have been added, along with three new temporary gates in Concourse C. Taxiway B has also been reconfigured. Construction of the O’Hare Global Terminal is expected to begin in 2026, but plans may change.
“TAP construction began with a series of enabling infrastructure projects in March 2023, and Satellite Concourse 1 is currently scheduled for completion in 2028,” the CDA said. “The City will release revised timelines and cost estimates for additional elements of the Terminal Area Plan in the coming months.”
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A number of gate improvement projects were completed in 2023, including a major expansion of O’Hare International Terminal (Terminal 5), which cost $1.3 billion to build.
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New gates at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
The Terminal 5 expansion added 10 new gates and reconfigured the international arrivals, customs and security facility into a new 350,000-square-foot space. A new six-story parking garage will open in October.
Five new baggage screening machines and several food service options have also been added, including some local businesses, such as The Hampton Social and Bar Siena, both of which have roots in the city center. Finally, as part of the modernization project, the CDA and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have launched a $3.5 million public art plan, the city’s largest acquisition of local art in 30 years.
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