Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to tweak the massive, delayed rebuild of O’Hare International Airport got a major vote of confidence Monday from Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

Johnson wants to change the sequencing of construction on the long-awaited Global Terminal and two new satellite concourses. That idea had initially drawn pushback from the congressional leaders when first reported earlier this month. But Durbin and Duckworth rallied behind the plan Monday.

“We’re in a better place. There’s been an effort to increase the conversation,” Durbin said at a groundbreaking for a separate O’Hare redevelopment project. “I think we have a proposal that will reach our goal of 25% increased capacity.”

His remarks capped a sea-change in his stance on Johnson’s proposal to prioritize the Global Terminal at the center of the $8.5 billion overhaul United Airlines and American Airlines agreed to in 2018.

When the Tribune broke that news earlier this month, Durbin offered a quick rebuke by publicly calling on U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to convene Johnson, Illinois’ congressional delegation and the airlines for a meeting.

Durbin declined to say Monday how discussions regarding Johnson’s proposal changed his mind, citing ongoing negotiations. “The conversation is moving in the right direction. We have the same shared goal,” he said.

Officials from United and American were at Monday’s event, but the airlines are still reviewing the mayor’s idea, and have not officially signed on to it.

Later, Duckworth added her own note of faith in the project and backed up her staunch belief that it must significantly raise O’Hare’s gate capacity. The airport’s long-running, multiproject rebuild will ultimately total $18 billion, she said.

“For us to not have a 25% increase in gates at the end of that $18 billion process would be fiscal malpractice,” she said. “We want O’Hare to stay at the top of the heap when it comes to the most quality airports around the world.”

The mayor’s proposal, which Duckworth also declined to discuss in specifics, is “not a rephasing,” she said. It offers a smarter approach to construction steps, she said. The “common sense” changes will allow for the project to remain affordable and occur faster, she added.

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