The use and development of the Gary/Chicago Airport (GCA) is worthy of all of our efforts. Tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars will be spent in the next 20 years to meet the aviation and transportation needs of the Chicago area. It is in the public's interest to have much of that investment occur in Gary and Northwest Indiana for the following reasons:
The GCA is already here, only 25 miles from Chicago's Loop. Driving time of 35 minutes from the Loop to GCA is no longer than to drive to O'Hare Airport, and even shorter during rush hours. Parking at GCA is free.
GCA's existing 7,000 foot runway is longer than any at Midway Airport.
Billions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent on surrounding airport infrastructure. Three interstate highways are within 5 miles of GCA. The South Shore commuter rail line runs adjacent to the GCA and the Indiana Toll Road.
Expanding aviation capacity at GCA can be done at a fraction of the cost of other sites being considered in the Chicago area. Such expansion would be environmentally friendly, utilizing brownfield sites instead of replacing farm land and people's homes and businesses.