City Council Approves $1B O¿Hare Airport Expansion Bond Issue

Chicago - Mayor Daley seems to be no lame duck, maintaining strong pull with Chicago's City Council majority.

The City Council passed the mayor's request to approve a new bond issue to keep the O’Hare expansion program alive. The City Council Finance Committee approved the measure Tuesday.

The city needed $1 billion in new bonds to continue runway work while it tries to convince the airlines to pitch in for a new terminal and other parts of the mayor's current plan.

Less than half of the expansion is completed, and the project is running out of money.

Some aldermen complained that Mayor Daley gave them too little time to study details of the borrowing plan, but they still overwhelmingly approved it.

Even with Mayor Daley leaving office and the project a long way from completion, the city is moving full throttle.

"We have a great group of people who work on this program. They will continue forward. The business community continues to support it. This project, based on all the things the mayor has done, will continue," Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino said.

The city is also putting the final touches on its acquisition of land from the Village of Bensenville.

The council approved annexation of land that includes 28 homes and businesses.

Bensenville agreed in February to sell the land for $16 million.

The buildings on the land are being demolished to make room for a new runway.