A $1 billion expansion and renovation of O’Hare Airport’s international terminal is continuing, as construction begins on a new parking garage.
The six-story garage, opening sometime in 2024, will hold twice as many vehicles as the 900-spot surface lot it replaces. It also will have charging stations for electric vehicles.
A ceremony to mark the occasion was held Thursday at the building, officially known as Terminal 5.
“These construction projects admittedly create disruptions to airport operations, but they are essential to providing safe, secure and passenger-friendly facilities well in the future,” CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee was quoted as saying in a news release.
A rendering of the expanded international terminal at O’Hare Airport. The extension is set to open in this fall.
Chicago Department of Aviation
Parts of the expanded terminal will open this fall, with renovations wrapping up next year. The expansion will dramatically extend the terminal, adding a lot more distance for dropping off and picking up passengers. Entry and exit from the terminal area also will be improved.
It’s all part of O’Hare 21, an $8.5 billion revamp of the entire airport.
Construction on the Terminal 5 garage means the surface lot, officially Lot D, will be closed in phases. Other parking options include the main O’Hare parking garage; visitors then can use the People Mover to reach Terminal 5. Drivers waiting to pick up arriving passengers also can wait in the free cell phone lot nearby, at 560 N. Bessie Coleman Drive.
Construction work as seen in November at O’Hare Airport’s international terminal. A $1 billion rehab of the facility will enlarge the terminal, and also includes a new parking garage.
Chicago Department of Aviation
