Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) has started construction of the transformative $1.3 billion new Concourse D. The project aims to redefine the travel experience, strengthen Chicago’s role as a global aviation hub, and set the stage for the airport’s next generation of growth.
“By breaking ground on Concourse D, we are taking a critical first step toward enhancing how the airport welcomes and serves more than 80 million passengers each year,” said Commissioner Michael McMurray of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). “We are also proud to introduce ORDNext, a new stage of development in the O’Hare 21 capital program that will elevate the passenger experience, improve connections between domestic and international flights, and increase the airport’s footprint to accommodate future growth. I’m grateful to our hub carriers for making this investment on behalf of the passengers we are proud to serve every day. I look forward to a continued partnership rooted in shared responsibility and a commitment to delivering this project with care, fiscal discipline, and a minimal impact on airport operations.”
The New Concourse D will include 19 new gates designed for narrow-body aircraft, with the flexibility to adapt 18 of those gates into nine larger gates that can accommodate wide-body aircraft. Current planned amenities include more than 20,000 square feet of lounge space, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, and a 450-square-foot children’s play area.
At the northern end of the 590,000-square-foot Concourse D is a 40-foot-high atrium-like space connecting the building’s three levels, marked by an oculus that directs daylight into the levels below, offering a warm, inviting, and well-landscaped seating area for travellers to enjoy.
Newly released architectural renderings were created by a team led by the Chicago-based firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), in collaboration with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup. The New Concourse D will feature tree-like structural columns – an elegant and functional design element – which also serve as a subtle nod to the apple orchard that once stood on the site where O’Hare now thrives.
Concourse D, the first of two new satellite concourses, is scheduled for completion in late 2028. Additional projects to be delivered through ORDNext include replacing Terminal 2 with the O’Hare Global Terminal, constructing a second satellite concourse designated Concourse E with 24 gates, and building a new underground tunnel to connect passengers, airport employees, and baggage operations between the expanded facilities. Together, these transformative projects make up the most anticipated and impactful elements of the $8.2 billion Terminal Area Plan, a bold vision launched in 2018 to reimagine O’Hare for the next century of travel.
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