Waukegan National Airport moves a step closer to getting a new 6,000-square-foot runway

Waukegan National Airport took a key step toward building a new 6,000-foot runway by securing a de minimis environmental resolution from the Lake County Forest Preserves District, clearing the FAA-required analysis while the existing runway remains open. The Port District needs 0.25 acre of the Waukegan Savannah and 18.3 acres of avigation easement; the Forest Preserves Board approved the de minimis finding 14-3, noting the arrangement does not commit to land sale or easement. Any transaction would require a later two-thirds commission vote.