Robert McCoppin, transportation writer with the Daily Herald (8/14/03), reported the cost of expanding O'Hare Airport excluding financing fees and interest expense per the analysis done by Infrastructure Management Group, Inc. are:

Airfield infrastructure for relocation of utilities and
electrical, water, sewer, and fuel lines:	  	        $	0.5 billion

World Gateway program:					  		3.7

Capital improvement program:				  		2.1

Expenses for nighttime pay and security costs:		  		2.7

Related road improvements					  	2.3

Cost to build runways (estimated from stated total 
 cost estimate of almost $16 billion)				  	4.7
				Sub-total		       	      $16.0	

Estimated interest expense over 20 years* 		   	$      16.0

				Total first 20 years	       	$      32.0 billion

* Note: During the week of August 11, 2024 the interest rates Chicago got were between 4.59% and 5.75%, with maturities between 10 and 31 years on a net financing of $986 million (part of which will go directly for O’Hare expansion, part of which for other O’Hare infrastructure improvements and debt refinancing) to help finance the start of the O’Hare airport expansion (most likely issued $1 billion in bonds with $14 million in issuing and insurance costs to improve bond rating).  For estimating purposes, let’s use 5.00% over 20 years.  5% times 20 equals 100%, which means the amount of interest paid over 20 years equals the amount financed.  Moreover, the bonds will have to be refinanced at a undetermined rate when the bonds mature, because it pretty safe bet that the airline industry, which has lost over $10 billion dollars since it came into existence in the 1940s, will not have generated excess cash flow to retire bonds.