Congestion Would Still Be A Problem

Sure, the $15 billion runway expansion plan for O'Hare Airport in Chicago (IL) would ease the record number of flight delays in the short run. But an FAA report released Friday said that would be a temporary fix -- in the long-run, the airport would become more and more congested as the number of flights inched back up.

While the report indicated the plan would go a long way toward improving the airport's on-time performance, the FAA cautioned that the entire plan would have to be completed as envisioned. If only part of the plan is built, the FAA predicted on-time performance would be just as bad as it is now.

In spite of the caveats, Chicago aviation officials crowed about the report, saying it was a vindication of their claims that the huge project would be good for air travelers and good for the local economy.

Opponents to the expansion project said the plan is downright unsafe and will add to the congestion that already makes O'Hare the nation's single-most gridlocked airport.

They may have a point. The FAA admits that its projections were based on the number of flight operations at O'Hare last year and don't take into account the significant increase in traffic predicted by the time the expansion is finished in 2013.

By 2018, the FAA said O'Hare would host 3,374 operations every day. If that's the case, the agency predicted flights would still be delayed an average of six minutes each. That compares to the current delays, which average about 17 minutes each.

FMI: www.ohare.com