Ruling due on demolition for O'Hare expansion

The economic crisis has caused airlines to slash flights, while fliers are less able to afford more costly flights. There was no need for this expansion. A collasal waste of taxpayers money, as usual. This should be halted and re-visited at a time when the economy recovers and flights return to previous levels. May never happen.

What nonsense. The economic sky is not falling. The airport expansion is needed and air travel will expand. This is a key element in the future economic health of Chicago. The Empire State Building was completed in 14 months. This NIMBYism and legal red tape is only delaying the inevitable and adding millions of dollars of expense and years of delay to the project. FULL SPEED AHEAD!

Armonsol wrote:

The economic crisis has caused airlines to slash flights, while fliers are less able to afford more costly flights. There was no need for this expansion. A collasal waste of taxpayers money, as usual. This should be halted and re-visited at a time when the economy recovers and flights return to previous levels. May never happen.

And if it is halted and revisted when the economy recovers and flights return to previous levels, you'll be the first person there to cry why this wasn't done when we had the chance. The fact is this was thought about and decided when the economy was good and flight levels were high. You seem to have a very narrow focus and are only concerned about the here and now. Alot of problems are caused by short-sightedness not forward thinking.

You gotta love this as the airlines are going bankrupt. Who's going to pay for this, Mayor Daley's friends?

What are the airplanes going to fly on when we run out of oil?

Has anyome tried getting to/from Denver on Amtrak lately. Most sold out for several weeks.

Concerned wrote:

What are the airplanes going to fly on when we run out of oil?

they're not. jet airliners will become museum pieces, or roadside diners.

unless we commit to building 500+ MPH ultrahigh speed land transport in this country, we're going to go backwards to the 1920's with the current railroad technology, in terms of city to city travel times. we could move up to the early 1950's, at best, with the 250 MPH TGV trains france operates. even current state of the art above ground maglevs won't do it- 350 MPH is too slow to replace our big cross country jets. on the other hand, new generation electric maglevs operating in vacuum tunnels just below ground will easily hit 500, maybe even 1000 MPH.

going overseas? maglev sea tunnels!

see link.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/tr...

Stop the expansion!

I wonder what Daley would do if his 900,000 south loop townhouse was due to be torn down for expansion of an amtrak terninal?

generalsn1234567 wrote:

Has anyome tried getting to/from Denver on Amtrak lately. Most sold out for several weeks.

And your point being????? I just looked at Amtrak for a comparison: Chicago to Denver for a family of four traveling October 11-18. Amtrak's schedule allows you to leave Chicago at 2pm and arrive in Denver at 7:15am for a travel time of 18hrs and 15 mins. Your return trip would have you leave Denver at 8:10pm and arrive in Chicago the next day at 3:50pm for a travel time of 18 hr 40mins. Now the same trip through Expedia.com for air travel lets you leave Chicago on AA at 12:45pm and arrive in Denver at 2:15pm for a travel time of 2hrs 30mins and leave Denver at 3:10pm and arrive at Chicago at 6:29pm for a travel time of 2hrs 19 mins. Now which are you going to choose???$486 for 36 hrs and 55 mins worth of travel on a train or $820 for 4 hrs and 49 mins worth of travel on a plane???

Promoting train travel as an alternative is fine but until high speed train travel is an option (and no, it will not happen in the US because of right of way issues, don't even start this stupid issue) it is like comparing apples to oranges. Air travel is still the fastest, safest, and most economical form of travel available.

Chicago wrote:

I wonder what Daley would do if his 900,000 south loop townhouse was due to be torn down for expansion of an amtrak terninal?

Probably the same thing any other intelligent person would do - sell it to Amtrak for $900,000 and move somewhere else. The idiotic concept that where I happen to live is somehow part of my eternal being and if I move my spirit will be forever adrift in an endless universe indicates stupidity or psychosis on a grand scale.

I really comes down to what's right and what's wrong. It's wrong for one municipality to "conquer" the territory of another. Those of you who live in the burbs and support this land-grab better watch your backs, now that the City has established a precedent they just might come after your town, too. The County of DuPage failed miserably to protect it's own people by caving in to the City's demands.

That part of Bensenville is/was a blighted wasteland anyway. Scrape it off 3' down and start over.

Concerned wrote:

What are the airplanes going to fly on when we run out of oil?

Well, when that happens in 2450 we probably won't be using planes anymore.

Even with the recent problems with the airline industry, the expansion is still needed. There are still major delay issues because when the wind is blowing a certain way most of the current runways can not be used (The wind is probably Daley's fault too). Some conditions shut all but one runway down. This expansion will allow enough runways to remain open regardless of wind conditions.

And anyone who thinks the industry is going away is thinking foolishly.

lasko, you're right that this part of Bensenville is a wasteland now - but it wasn't always. After the city started this business and started buying people's home it became what it is now.

I agree the runway should happen, there's nothing else anyone can do with this land now. I feel sorry for the folks that remained, but they'll be compensated (with more than their home is worth).

Thanks for the amazing insite Connie. Did you do a lot of research to reach that conclusion?(rolls eyes).

The expansion is obviously needed for the entire region of 10 million people. I feel sorry for the 30 families still living there, but get real. We didn't get this far in society without compensating for the better good of everyone. I also like how people think a recession in 2008 means we should scrap all plans for the future 30 years.

Out of Towner wrote:

I really comes down to what's right and what's wrong. It's wrong for one municipality to "conquer" the territory of another. Those of you who live in the burbs and support this land-grab better watch your backs, now that the City has established a precedent they just might come after your town, too. The County of DuPage failed miserably to protect it's own people by caving in to the City's demands.

Right. Bad precedent. If Daley had leveled 500 homes east of Mannheim or Cicero near Midway, he'd have an uprising on his hands. Though I'm somewhat sympathetic to the suburban residents, the expansion isn't necessarily bad. But doesn't current economics (fuel prices, airline stability) dictate a more calculated approach? This guy ram-rods everyone in his way and lines up the bulldozers on the street. And people blame the burbs for trying to tie it up in court? Remember, this entire plan is brought to you by the guy who routinely goes millions over budget on capital projects, engineered the bizarre destruction of Meigs and has displayed behavior (Children's Museum comes to mind) bordering on clinically sociopathic.

For crying outloud, just finish it and stop fighting. We are going to need the runways when the democrats are back in office and the economy starts humming again.
On the other hand, if the republicans win the presidential election we can always use it as a military base!

lasko wrote:

That part of Bensenville is/was a blighted wasteland anyway. Scrape it off 3' down and start over.

Baloney, you are a TROLL, there were 500 very livable homes on wide tree lined streets. With mature trees.

To judge it by the ill-sited business on that stretch of Irving Park Rd is a HUGE mistake.

The only non-regrettable loss is the ill-advised Hamilton townhomes that attracted trouble. Once the easy Irving Park Rd access was cut, crime dropped precipitously there.

The airport land that has already been cleared that is visible from York and Irving IS a JARRING WASTELAND.

Go back to sleep TROLL.

The OMP will be the next major scandal. Same as always, cost overruns and contract irregularities.

No tax payer dollars being used??? Yeah right. I believe you... really I do.