O'Hare Is Getting Its First New Concourse in 30 Years. Here's What That Means for Wayfinding and Digital Signage.

O'Hare Is Getting Its First New Concourse in 30 Years. Here's What That Means for Wayfinding and Digital Signage.

4 minute read | Updated April 7, 2026

O'Hare International Airport is in the middle of the most significant physical transformation it has seen in a generation. Construction is officially underway on a $1.3 billion new Terminal D — the first major concourse built at O'Hare in more than 30 years — with vertical construction beginning in spring 2026 and the full project scheduled for completion in 2028. That's not a rendering. That's an active construction site at one of the busiest airports in the world.

And Terminal D is only one piece of a much larger story.

The O'Hare 21 program — the city's comprehensive modernization initiative for the airport — also includes a full transformation of Terminal 3, a Terminal 5 expansion adding 10 new gates, and the eventual replacement of Terminal 2 with a new O'Hare Global Terminal. When the program is complete, O'Hare will be a fundamentally different airport than the one that exists today. Bigger, more connected, and serving a passenger base that has already been growing at a pace the current infrastructure was never designed to handle.

In 2025, O'Hare recorded its highest-ever passenger traffic, including a 5.1% increase over the prior year. United and American Airlines flights are up nearly 19% since 2023. The airport is busier now than it has ever been — and it's about to get significantly larger.

That combination — record passenger volume, active large-scale construction, and a 2028 completion horizon — makes wayfinding one of the most consequential planning challenges in Chicago's infrastructure landscape right now. And it raises a question that goes well beyond the airport itself: when a major public venue undergoes this kind of transformation, what does it take to keep people moving in the right direction?

The Scale of What's Being Built

To understand why the wayfinding challenge at O'Hare is so significant, it helps to understand the scale of what the O'Hare 21 program actually entails.

Terminal D is the centerpiece of the near-term work. The new concourse will be the first purpose-built addition to O'Hare's terminal complex in over three decades, designed from the ground up to serve modern aircraft and modern passenger volumes. Vertical construction begins in spring 2026. The building will introduce new gate configurations, new circulation patterns, and new connections to the existing terminal complex — all of which need to be navigable by passengers who have never been there before and may be connecting through O'Hare under significant time pressure.

Terminal 3 is undergoing a comprehensive transformation as part of the same program. Terminal 3 is one of the busiest terminals at O'Hare, serving American Airlines' domestic and international operations. A full renovation while the terminal remains operational creates exactly the kind of construction-phase wayfinding complexity that digital systems are uniquely positioned to handle — routes change, temporary closures redirect passenger flow, and static signage becomes outdated faster than it can be reprinted.

Terminal 5 is being expanded with 10 new gates, adding international capacity to a terminal that already handles a significant volume of international arrivals and departures. For passengers navigating customs, baggage claim, ground transportation, and connections to domestic terminals, Terminal 5 is already one of the more complex navigation environments at the airport. Expansion adds gates and passengers without automatically adding clarity.

The O'Hare Global Terminal — the eventual replacement for Terminal 2 — represents the long-range vision for the program. A new global terminal at O'Hare, connecting international and domestic operations in a purpose-built facility, will require wayfinding infrastructure designed for a passenger population that includes first-time visitors, international travelers navigating in a second language, connecting passengers under time pressure, and accessibility-dependent travelers who need clear, reliable navigation support at every decision point.

Why Wayfinding Is a Live Problem, Not a Future One

It would be convenient if the wayfinding challenge at O'Hare were something to address when the O'Hare 21 program is complete — a clean slate, a finished building, a fresh start. But that's not how large-scale infrastructure transformation works.

O'Hare is carrying record passenger volume right now, while major construction is actively underway. Passengers arriving in Terminal 3 are navigating a renovation environment. Passengers connecting between terminals are doing so through a campus that is physically changing around them. Ground transportation options, entry points, and pedestrian pathways are all subject to construction-phase shifts that need to be communicated in real time.

Static signage cannot keep pace with an active construction environment at this scale. Printed directories reflect where things were when they were printed. Overhead blade signs point toward destinations that may have moved. Floor stickers indicating temporary routes wear out and become unreadable. None of these are adequate for the volume of passengers O'Hare is currently handling, and none of them adapt to change without significant manual intervention.

Digital wayfinding systems — connected, centrally managed, and capable of real-time updates — are the correct infrastructure response to a construction-phase navigation environment of this complexity. Route changes can be pushed to all affected displays simultaneously. Temporary closures can be reflected in interactive kiosk directions immediately. Terminal-wide communication about construction-related changes can be distributed through a single content management system rather than requiring physical reprinting and installation across a multi-terminal campus.

The wayfinding problem at O'Hare is not waiting for 2028. It is happening right now.

What Passengers Actually Experience — And Why It Matters

O'Hare's passenger population is not a monolithic group with uniform navigation needs. On any given day, the airport is simultaneously serving:

Frequent business travelers who know the airport well but are navigating construction-phase changes to familiar routes. These passengers move fast and have low tolerance for unexpected detours or unclear signage at decision points they've navigated hundreds of times before.

Infrequent leisure travelers who may not have been to O'Hare in years and are encountering a significantly changed environment. For these passengers, the combination of unfamiliarity and active construction creates genuine anxiety — particularly when connecting between terminals under time pressure.

International travelers arriving via Terminal 5 who are navigating customs, baggage claim, and ground transportation in an unfamiliar language environment. For these passengers, multilingual digital wayfinding — with clear visual hierarchy and language-switching capability — is not a premium feature. It's a baseline accessibility requirement.

Travelers with disabilities who depend on accessible navigation infrastructure — large-format displays with high contrast, audio wayfinding integration, ADA-compliant kiosk heights — to move through the airport independently. A construction-phase environment that disrupts established accessible routes without providing clear digital navigation alternatives creates real barriers for this population.

Connecting passengers under time pressure who need to move from an arrival gate to a departure gate as efficiently as possible, often across terminals, often with limited time. For these passengers, accurate real-time information about the fastest available route — accounting for current construction closures and temporary redirections — is the difference between making the connection and missing it.

Each of these passenger groups has different navigation needs. A well-designed digital wayfinding system addresses all of them through a single integrated infrastructure — interactive kiosks that support multiple languages and accessibility settings, overhead signage that adapts in real time, and mobile integration that extends navigation support to passengers before they even land.

The Broader Lesson for High-Traffic Public Venues

O'Hare is the most dramatic current example of a large, complex, high-traffic public venue navigating active expansion — but it isn't the only one. The wayfinding challenges playing out at O'Hare right now are the same challenges facing any major public building in Chicago that is growing, renovating, or connecting new spaces to existing ones.

Convention centers adding new halls. University campuses building new academic buildings connected to existing quad infrastructure. Transit hubs like Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center managing passenger flow through facilities that evolved over decades without a unified wayfinding logic. Mixed-use developments in the Loop and River North that combine retail, office, residential, and transit access in buildings where ground-floor navigation is genuinely complex.

In each of these environments, the fundamental wayfinding problem is the same: a high volume of people with varying levels of familiarity with the space, navigating an environment that is either actively changing or that never had a coherent navigation system to begin with. The solution in each case follows the same logic that applies at O'Hare: digital systems that are centrally managed, real-time adaptable, and designed to serve the full range of people moving through the space — not just the ones who already know where they're going.

Transit-Integrated Signage for Properties Near O'Hare

The O'Hare 21 program has implications that extend beyond the airport's physical boundaries. The transportation corridor connecting O'Hare to downtown Chicago — along the Blue Line, the expressway network, and the dense commercial and hospitality development surrounding the airport — is home to a significant concentration of hotels, office parks, logistics facilities, and mixed-use properties whose tenants and guests are deeply connected to O'Hare's operations.

For property managers and developers in this corridor, transit-integrated digital signage is an increasingly relevant amenity. Displays in hotel lobbies, office building entries, and mixed-use common areas that show real-time Blue Line departure times, terminal ground transportation status, and flight information offer genuine value to building occupants who are frequently moving between the property and the airport.

As O'Hare's passenger volume continues to grow and the O'Hare 21 program reshapes the airport's physical footprint, the properties best positioned to serve that traveler population will be the ones that have integrated transit connectivity into their building technology stack — not just as a feature, but as a fundamental part of the tenant and guest experience.

What Planning for a New Concourse Actually Requires

Terminal D, when it opens, will be the newest and most technologically current facility at O'Hare. It will also be connecting to a terminal complex that evolved over decades — with existing circulation patterns, existing passenger expectations, and existing wayfinding infrastructure that was designed for a different era.

The connections between Terminal D and the broader O'Hare campus — the walkways, the ATS people mover, the shared check-in and security infrastructure — are precisely where wayfinding complexity concentrates. Passengers arriving in Terminal D who need to connect to gates in Terminal 1, 2, or 3 will be making navigation decisions at connection points that didn't exist before. Passengers arriving in Terminal 1 who need to reach Terminal D for a departure will encounter a new destination in a familiar environment.

For the wayfinding system to work at those connection points, it needs to be planned as part of the Terminal D project — not added after the terminal opens. That means interactive kiosks at the ATS stations that account for the full terminal network. Overhead signage at the connection points between Terminal D and the existing complex that clearly communicates available routes. Digital directories at Terminal D's gate areas that reflect the full scope of available connections, services, and ground transportation options.

The terminal will be state of the art. The wayfinding infrastructure needs to match it.

The Window Is Open

With vertical construction on Terminal D beginning in spring 2026 and a 2028 completion target, the design and infrastructure planning window for wayfinding integration is open right now. The decisions that will determine whether Terminal D's wayfinding system is seamlessly integrated or visibly retrofitted are being made in the design development phase — before walls are closed, before infrastructure is fixed, and before the construction schedule eliminates the flexibility to do it correctly.

The same is true for the Terminal 3 renovation, the Terminal 5 expansion, and the longer-horizon Global Terminal project. Each phase of the O'Hare 21 program has its own planning window, and in each case, the cost and quality of wayfinding outcomes are directly tied to how early in the process the right conversations happen.

For the firms and agencies involved in these projects — and for property managers and developers in the O'Hare corridor thinking about transit-integrated signage — that conversation is worth having now.

Ready to Talk About Your Project?

Whether you're involved in a large-scale public venue, a transit-adjacent mixed-use development, or a high-traffic commercial property where wayfinding is a live operational challenge, Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. can help you build a system that works at scale — and that grows with the building.

Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. provides digital signage strategy, hardware, and installation for residential, mixed-use, and commercial properties throughout Chicago and the surrounding region.

Get in touch with a Navigo expert today. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the O'Hare 21 program, and what does it include?

O'Hare 21 is the City of Chicago's comprehensive modernization initiative for O'Hare International Airport — one of the largest airport infrastructure programs in the country. The program includes four major components: the construction of a new Terminal D concourse, a full transformation of Terminal 3, a Terminal 5 expansion adding 10 new international gates, and the eventual replacement of Terminal 2 with a new O'Hare Global Terminal.

The new Terminal D is the most immediate and visible piece of the program. It will be the first major concourse built at O'Hare in more than 30 years, with a $1.3 billion budget, vertical construction beginning in spring 2026, and a scheduled completion in 2028. When the full O'Hare 21 program is complete, the airport will be fundamentally larger, more connected, and more capable than the facility that exists today.

Why is wayfinding such a significant challenge at O'Hare right now?

Because the airport is simultaneously carrying record passenger volume and undergoing active large-scale construction — and those two conditions together create a wayfinding environment that static signage cannot adequately serve.

O'Hare recorded its highest-ever passenger traffic in 2025, including a 5.1% year-over-year increase. United and American Airlines flights are up nearly 19% since 2023. At the same time, Terminal 3 is being renovated, Terminal 5 is being expanded, and Terminal D construction is underway. Routes that passengers know are changing. Entry points are shifting. Temporary closures are redirecting familiar traffic patterns. The airport is busier than it has ever been, and it is physically changing at the same time. That combination makes real-time, adaptable digital wayfinding not a future consideration but an immediate operational necessity.

What is Terminal D, and when will it open?

Terminal D is a brand-new concourse being constructed at O'Hare as part of the O'Hare 21 program. With a $1.3 billion budget, it represents the first major purpose-built addition to O'Hare's terminal complex in over 30 years. Vertical construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with the project targeting a 2028 completion. The new concourse will introduce new gate configurations, new circulation patterns, and new connections to the existing terminal complex — all of which need to be navigable by passengers encountering them for the first time, often under significant time pressure.

How does digital wayfinding differ from the static signage already in place at airports?

Static signage — printed directories, overhead blade signs, floor stickers indicating temporary routes — works reasonably well in a stable environment where destinations don't move and routes don't change. In an active construction environment at a major international airport, those conditions don't hold.

Digital wayfinding systems are connected, centrally managed, and capable of real-time updates. When a corridor closes due to construction, the change can be reflected immediately across all affected displays without manual reprinting or physical sign replacement. When a gate changes or a new connection opens, interactive kiosk directions update automatically. When an international flight arrives and passengers need multilingual navigation support through customs and ground transportation, digital systems can deliver that in ways static signage fundamentally cannot. The core advantage of digital wayfinding is responsiveness — the ability to adapt to a changing environment as fast as the environment itself changes.

What types of digital wayfinding systems are needed in a large airport environment?

A comprehensive airport wayfinding system typically involves several coordinated layers:

Interactive kiosks at major decision points — terminal entries, ATS people mover stations, security checkpoint exits, and gate area hubs — allow passengers to search for a gate, a connection, a service, or a ground transportation option and receive step-by-step directions that account for the full terminal network, including current construction-phase route changes.

Digital directories at terminal entries, elevator lobbies, and gate areas provide a persistent, always-current reference for passengers who need to quickly confirm a location without stopping at a kiosk. Unlike printed directories, digital versions reflect current conditions rather than pre-construction assumptions.

Dynamic overhead signage along high-traffic corridors and at key decision points reinforces navigation at the moments when passengers are most likely to hesitate — particularly at construction-phase redirections and at the connection points between terminals.

ATS and inter-terminal connection signage at the people mover stations and walkway connections between terminals clearly communicates which terminal each connection serves and what's available at each stop — critical information for connecting passengers under time pressure.

Exterior and ground transportation wayfinding addresses the arrival experience — directing passengers from rideshare pickup zones, parking structures, and transit access points to the correct terminal entry, with real-time information about ground transportation options and wait times.

Mobile wayfinding extends navigation support to passengers before they land, allowing them to plan their route through the terminal, identify their connection gate, and receive real-time alerts about construction-phase route changes before they encounter them in person.

How does an active construction environment affect passengers navigating O'Hare today?

Significantly — and differently depending on the type of traveler. Frequent business travelers who know O'Hare well are encountering construction-phase changes to familiar routes without always having clear guidance on the correct alternative. Infrequent leisure travelers are arriving at an airport that may look substantially different from their last visit, without the familiarity to compensate for unclear signage. International travelers navigating Terminal 5 are managing customs, baggage claim, and ground transportation connections in an environment that is simultaneously being expanded. Connecting passengers under time pressure need accurate, real-time route information that accounts for current closures — not pre-construction directions that may no longer reflect available paths.

Each of these passenger groups is actively navigating O'Hare right now, in a construction environment that is changing faster than static signage can keep up with. Digital wayfinding systems that update in real time are the correct infrastructure response.

What are the accessibility requirements for digital wayfinding in a public venue like an airport?

Federal accessibility requirements for public venues receiving federal funding — including airports — establish standards for accessible communication and physical navigation. For digital wayfinding systems, that typically means large-format displays with adjustable contrast and text size, audio wayfinding integration for visually impaired passengers, multilingual support for international travelers, and ADA-compliant mounting heights and placement for interactive kiosks.

In an active construction environment, accessibility requirements extend to temporary route changes as well. When a familiar accessible route is disrupted by construction, a clear, reliably communicated alternative needs to be provided — and that communication needs to work for passengers who depend on it, not just for passengers who can navigate around the disruption independently. Digital systems that update in real time are significantly better positioned to maintain accessible navigation through construction-phase changes than static signage that requires manual reprinting and installation.

Why does Terminal D's wayfinding infrastructure need to be planned during design development rather than after construction?

Because the infrastructure that supports digital wayfinding — power, data, conduit, structural backing, network connectivity — needs to be in the correct locations before the walls are closed. Kiosk power and data drops that aren't planned during design development become costly retrofits after construction. Overhead signage mounting points that aren't blocked during framing require structural interventions to add later. Network infrastructure that isn't coordinated with the building's systems during construction has to be patched in afterward, often with visible cable management that compromises the finished environment.

For a $1.3 billion new concourse that will be the newest and most technologically current facility at O'Hare, wayfinding infrastructure that looks retrofitted is a planning failure — not a budget constraint. The window to integrate wayfinding correctly is during design development, before the construction schedule eliminates the flexibility to do it right.

What is transit-integrated digital signage, and why is it relevant for properties near O'Hare?

Transit-integrated digital signage refers to displays in hotels, office buildings, and mixed-use properties that show real-time transit information — Blue Line departure times, ground transportation status, flight information, rideshare wait times — alongside standard building communication content.

For properties in the O'Hare transportation corridor, this kind of integration offers genuine value to building occupants who are frequently moving between the property and the airport. A hotel lobby display that shows real-time Blue Line schedules and terminal ground transportation status helps guests plan their departure without pulling out their phones. An office building display that shows current O'Hare departure status is a useful amenity for tenants whose clients are frequently flying in and out. As O'Hare's passenger volume continues to grow and the O'Hare 21 program reshapes the airport's footprint, the properties best positioned to serve the traveler population in that corridor will be the ones that have integrated transit connectivity into their building technology infrastructure.

Does the wayfinding challenge at O'Hare have lessons for other large public venues in Chicago?

Yes — and directly. The wayfinding challenges playing out at O'Hare are the same challenges facing any major public building in Chicago that is growing, renovating, or connecting new spaces to existing ones. Convention centers adding new halls. University campuses connecting new academic buildings to existing quad infrastructure. Transit hubs like Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center managing high passenger volumes through facilities that evolved over decades without a unified wayfinding logic. Mixed-use developments in the Loop and River North combining retail, office, residential, and transit access in buildings where ground-floor navigation is genuinely complex.

In each of these environments the fundamental problem is the same: high volumes of people with varying levels of familiarity, navigating a space that is either actively changing or that never had a coherent navigation system to begin with. The solution follows the same logic that applies at O'Hare — connected, centrally managed, real-time-adaptable digital systems designed to serve the full range of people moving through the space.

When is the right time to bring Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. into an airport or large venue wayfinding project?

During design development — before wall types are locked in, before MEP coordination is complete, and before the construction schedule compresses the options available. For Terminal D specifically, with vertical construction beginning in spring 2026, the design development window is open now. For the Terminal 3 renovation, Terminal 5 expansion, and longer-horizon Global Terminal project, each phase has its own planning window, and in each case the cost and quality of wayfinding outcomes are directly tied to how early the right conversations happen.

For projects already in construction or approaching completion, Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. can assess the current state of the infrastructure and develop the most effective path forward given the existing conditions. Earlier is always better — but it is never too late to improve the system.

Does Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. work on airport and transit projects specifically, or primarily on commercial and residential properties?

Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. works across a broad range of property types — airports, transit hubs, healthcare campuses, mixed-use developments, hospitality properties, and commercial buildings. Large, complex, high-traffic public venues share the same fundamental wayfinding challenges regardless of property type: high volumes of people with varying familiarity levels, environments that change over time, and the need for navigation infrastructure that adapts in real time rather than becoming outdated the moment something changes. The planning principles and technology systems that solve the problem in a hospital campus environment are the same ones that solve it in an airport — and in a convention center, a university, and a mixed-use transit hub.

Ready to talk about your project?

Whether you're involved in a large-scale public venue, a transit-adjacent development, or a high-traffic commercial property where wayfinding is a live operational challenge, Interactive Touchscreen Solutions, Inc. can help you build a system that works at scale — and that grows with the building.

Contact us today to learn more about Navigo® for your property.