Three Chicago Area U.S. Reps Urge City To Reopen O'Hare Diagonal Runway
WOOD DALE, Ill. (CBS) -- Millions of noise complaints have failed to stop the city of Chicago from closing the first of O'Hare International Airport's diagonal runways. But three members of Congress hope they can.
The letter by Rep. Tammy Duckworth, Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley to Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans, dated Friday, "strongly urges" the city to reopen the diagonal runway that is already closed and forego plans to close a second diagonal in late 2018.
"Given O'Hare's lack of improvement in performance despite billions spent on new runways and a new east-west traffic pattern, it's hard to argue that retaining the diagonal runways will adversely affect O'Hare's efficiency," they wrote.
They said that O'Hare expansion has had a "harmful impact … on the well-being of hundreds of thousands of our constituents" and "needs to retain every possible runway option, to increase efficiency, enhance safety and provide noise relief."
State Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Wood Dale) said the ratchets up the pressure on the city.
"That offers a hugely strong statement to the FAA," Cullerton said.
Cullerton and a leader from the O'Hare watchdog group FAIR told a roomful of irate homeowners at the Wood Dale public library Tuesday night that the letter is an important first step…and urged them to register new complaints every time a passing plane proves to be bothersome.
The O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission is scheduled to vote next week on a compromise plan to shift incoming and outgoing aircraft to a different runway each night to spread out the worst of the noise.