Get Ready to Fly From Peotone

Lincoln Airport project now awaits approval from FAA, governor -- about 6 to 9 months

Supporters of a third Chicago airport have finalized agreements with developers to finance, build and run the proposed Airport near south suburban Peotone.

As of Sept. 13, the clock is ticking for members of the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Coalition -- formerly the South Suburban Airport Coalition -- waiting to see if the proposal gets the green light from Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Proponents fear that if approval doesn't come in the next six to nine months, the developers, who plan to sink $200 million into the first phase of the airport's construction, will walk away.

If approved, the project could be completed by 2009 and it would likely dash Chicago officials' hopes of massive expansion at O'Hare International Airport, said Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson.

Johnson, a staunch supporter of the Peotone project and opponent of O'Hare expansion, said the agreement means the realization of the coalition's goals are near.

"Folks, it's right in front of our eyes. The light at the end of the tunnel is so bright that I am handing out sunglasses to the people on this board," he said at a Sept. 14 Village Board meeting, which featured comments from Karl Ray, an executive project coordinator with from SNC-Lavalin, one of two private airport developers backing the proposal.

The state currently owns 1,715 of the estimated 4,000 acres needed for the Peotone airport. That property has cost the state nearly $20 million.