Onward, Daley's Bulldozers!

Not for the first time, opponent pleas for more time to review plans affecting a Chicago airport have been rejected. This time, the moves affects airport construction, not destruction -- and the word came from the FAA, not city hall.

Opponents of the proposed runway expansion at O'Hare International were asking for a 45-day extension of the comment period on an environmental impact study released in July. The current 30-day period is set to end on Sept. 6, with the FAA expected to make its final decision on the project at the end of September.

The FAA announced its decision in a letter to attorney Joseph Karaganis, who is representing opponents of the $15 billion expansion. Karaganis believes that the FAA is withholding "several thousand" documents relating to the environmental study.

Attorneys for Elk Grove Village and Bensenville, as well as Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL) had also asked for the 45-day extension.

“The FAA is playing a very unfortunate game here,” Mr. Karaganis said, adding that he plans to appeal the ruling. The FAA denies that any information has been withheld.

The study in question includes how the O'Hare expansion would affect two Chicago cemeteries. The expansion plan calls for the relocating of all the graves from the 156-year-old St. Johannes Cemetery that lies in the way of a proposed new runway at O'Hare. Nearby Rest Haven cemetery would also be affected, allowing visitors only limited access to graves after the airport expansion.

The O'Hare expansion was proposed by the City of Chicago and requires FAA approval before construction can begin. It is expected to ease congestion at O'Hare (much like Meigs Field did) by adding increased flight capacity to the nation's second-busiest airport.

In a prepared statement, opponents suggest that the FAA could "adopt viable alternatives such as runway configurations which were proposed by the Chicago air traffic controllers, use of congestion management techniques and reliance on other airports including the new south suburban Chicago Abraham Lincoln National Airport," instead of expanding O'Hare.

Crews are expected to begin work immediately, should the expansion be approved.

FMI: www.cityofchicago.org, www.friendsofmeigs.org