Earlier this month, we celebrated Infrastructure Week. It coincided with the opening of five new American Airline gates at O’Hare and the next phase of the CTA Blue Line modernization.

On May 11, Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined American Airlines CEO Doug Parker for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of five new gates at O’Hare International Airport. This is the first major expansion of gate capacity in 25 years and marks the first step as part of the $8.7 billion O’Hare 21 expansion plan. “We begin today writing a new era and a new chapter for the city of Chicago, for O’Hare and obviously for American Airlines,” Mayor Emanuel said.

On May 22, Mayor Emanuel and the CTA kicked off the next phase for the $492 million Your New Blue program: the Belmont Blue Gateway project and the renovation of the Jefferson Park Transit Center. The upgrades will make the terminals safer and more aesthetic.  “The Blue Line is in the midst of its largest modernization since it was extended to O’Hare over four decades ago, and today marks a major milestone in that progress,” Mayor Emanuel said. “By keeping the CTA moving forward we are keeping Chicago moving forward, creating good-paying jobs and ensuring our future is even brighter than our past.” This comes a month after the Mayor and the CTA opened the new $280 million South Terminal at 95^thStreet on the Red Line.