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CHICAGO — The largest terminal expansion in decades is now taking flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

WGN News got an exclusive look inside the first phase of the project that is expanding Terminal 5. It will include increase gate capacity by 25% and added restaurants and amenities. There will also be a new airline lounge and security screening checkpoints. 

Delta Airlines and its partners will move into Terminal 5 in September to create room for the construction of a new global terminal between United and American’s main terminals. 

The project will also eliminate the need for connecting international passengers to board a bus or train to move between terminals and expand immigration and customs facilities.

“We’ve now made significant investments in the air field,” Chicago Department of Aviation Development Manager Rob Hoxie said. “We’ve eliminated a lot of bottleneck delays, the difference between good weather and bad and airport capacity. Now our focus is on modernizing and expanding our terminal facilities. Not just to park the aircraft but deliver the types of amenities a modern airport should deliver.”

The Terminal 5 expansion has a projected cost of $1 billion, while the overall O’Hare terminal redevelopment project has a price tag of more than $8 billion.