South Suburban Airport - Third Airport For Chicago

Map above from 2013, map below February 2016

Planning and land purchase continues for the Third Airport for Chicago.  The map above shows the progress of land acquisition. 

Planning for the airport has been underway for over forty years.  My wife and I worked on this issue for many years. 

It is of course very controversial.   Many of the people who live in or near the site are very opposed. Other people see the airport as the economic engine for the south side of Chicago.

The area is at the south end of the Chicago developed metro area, bounded by Crete, University Park, Monee, Peotone, and Beecher. I-57 is on the west side, I-294/Rt 1 on the east side, and the new I-355 Tollway would be on the north side.

A considerable amount of land has been acquired for the initial airport. It probably will not be developed until the economic recovery creates additional demand for air traffic. O'Hare and Midway are of course very busy and congested and Chicago is the major Hub for the United States.

I prepared the Land Use Plan Map and local transportation improvement plan above. The Plan is a mosaic of the plans of Will and Kankakee County and the Villages of Crete, Monee, University Park, Peotone, Beecher, Manteno, and Grant Park. 

The web sites below tell more about the airport.

http://www.southsuburbanairport.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_Chicago_south_suburban_airport

http://www.suntimes.com/news/14080173-418/top-idot-official-says-third-airport-will-be-built.html