Sector
- Municipal
- Aviation
Client
- City of Chicago Department of Aviation
Services Provided
- Civil Engineering
- Survey
Location
- Chicago, Illinois
EDI provided comprehensive site/civil engineering design and survey services for O’Hare’s South Airport Traffic Control Tower (SATCT) which opened in October 2015. The $45 million SATCT project is part of the overall O’Hare Modernization Program and related capital improvements which aim to dramatically improve airport efficiency.
The site of the SATCT is approximately 1.5 acres and was developed in conjunction with the Main Cargo Road realignment. EDI performed the survey of the property for the entire area in which the SATC is located, including establishing horizontal and vertical control from existing airport control. The survey topography for the entire FAA lease area included contours and borehole locations as a check for the site grading. Upon completion of construction and prior to commissioning, EDI obtained the latitude and longitude of the center of the tower cab and overall tower height and was confirmed within IA accuracy per FAA Airspace Guidelines.
The design incorporates sustainable materials and design elements to achieve the requirements of O’Hare’s Sustainable Airports Manual (SAM) and LEED® Gold requirements.
The site drainage and grading plan required continuous coordination with the Main Cargo Road designers. The grading approach also required alterations to direct glycol-contaminated stormwater away from the SATCT to existing infrastructure for treatment.