The O'Hare expansion is the largest construction project currently underway in the Chicago area right now, and once completed, the city says that modernization of the busy airport will add 195,000 new jobs and about $18 billion to the region's economy. First introduced in 2001, the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) required that hundreds of homes in Bensenville be demo'd to make way for the expansion. The suburb fought against the plan for years, but ultimately ended the battle in 2009 when the city agreed to pay Bensenville $16 million. This time lapse gif image shows exactly how much the O'Hare area changed in just a few years, primarily between 2009-2010 when Bensenville dropped its fight and allowed 500 homes to be razed. The image shows seven years of the expansion's progress, from 2007 to 2013. The original estimated cost for the OMP when it was introduced was $6.6 billion, however, more recent estimates place the number closer to $15 billion.
·As O'Hare Expanded, Time Lapse Shows Demise Of Bensenville Neighborhood [CBS Chicago]
·Previous O'Hare coverage [Curbed Chicago]
Filed under:
Loading comments...