CHICAGO, 2015-5-7 — /Travel PR News/ — On May 1, 2015, the City of Chicago awarded a contract to Parsons Construction Group, Inc. to modernize and upgrade the Airport Transit System (ATS) at O’Hare International Airport, as part of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CRCF).
“The City of Chicago is pleased to move forward with the expansion of O’Hare’s Airport Transit System,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This project and the ensuing Consolidated Rental Car Facility will allow O’Hare to continue building for a more efficient and sustainable future while creating a more convenient experience for the millions of travelers who depend on O’Hare.”
The $310 million contract is for Parsons to construct a 2,000-ft track extension to reach the CRCF and for the design and replacement of the existing ATS system that operates between O’Hare’s terminals and remote parking lot.
This contract is part of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) $782 million CRCF project that will consolidate all of the rental car companies into one facility, as well as offer new public garage parking for airport passengers.
As with all CDA capital improvement projects, no local or state tax dollars will be utilized for this project. Funding for the CRCF project was secured in July of 2013 in the form of a Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan of $292 million, in combination with previously issued and authorized general airport bond revenues making available the funds to finance a $782 million multi-modal development project.
Under the contract, the ATS maintenance and storage facility will also be expanded, and the existing 15-vehicle ATS fleet will be replaced with 36 new rail cars that feature automated vehicle control, traction power and communications improvements.
Parsons will manage construction of the project and provide design for the traction power, communications, and track work while performing systems integration and commissioning work for the entire project. The supplier of the ATS vehicles and the train control system is Bombardier.
“Parsons is pleased to partner with Chicago’s Department of Aviation on this important project at O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world,” said Todd Wager, Parsons Group President. “The airport ATS replacement and expansion project will save time and enhance convenience for the many travelers to Chicago.”
The new train vehicles are necessary because all rent-a-car customers will utilize the ATS as opposed to independent shuttle buses. In addition, all regional, local, hotel, off-airport rent-a- car, off-airport parking, and other buses will drop off and pick up passengers at the new bus shuttle center in the joint use facility. These new configurations will double the current ridership of the ATS. The new facility will be constructed in the current Lot F at O’Hare at the southeast corner of Mannheim and Zemke Roads.
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) is self-supporting, using no local or state tax dollars for operations or capital improvements at O’Hare and Midway International airports. Together, Chicago’s airports generate more than $45 billion in annual economic activity and create 540,000 jobs for the region. Please visit www.flychicago.com to learn more about the Chicago Department of Aviation.
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Rendering of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility with ATS extension at O’Hare