Offshore Airport Site Planning

Aspects of safety, cost, and environmental impact favor the use of landfill or polder sites at offshore locations in lakes or the ocean for airports. Studies for a number of large American and foreign cities at offshore sites have shown that adequate safety can be provided by conservative selection of design criteria. Costs for sites to suffice for a large metropolitan airport lie between $19,000 and $90,000/acre ($5 to $23 m²). Considering need for less land as buffer zone at offshore sites than at land-based airports, total site development costs are expected to lie between $230,000,000 and $900,000,000. Environmental effects are generally mild, but more research is needed in this area. The conduct and status of Chicago's airport studies are reviewed.