Chicago Finds Design Errors in O'Hare Project

Prominent architectural firm Murphy/Jahn and other contractors made design and construction errors in a project to expand three passenger terminals at O'Hare International Airport, city officials alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday.

Murphy/Jahn's initial designs for the project failed, for example, to account for underground obstructions such as pedestrian tunnels, the lawsuit alleged.

As a result, the city had to make "extensive design changes ... which resulted in project delays and additional costs and expenses," according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

Murphy/Jahn officials could not be reached for comment Friday.

Defendants in the lawsuit include Murphy/Jahn and Werner Sobek Ingenieure, an engineering firm based in Germany. The issues raised in the lawsuit concern the design and construction of a glass-and-steel canopy that will enclose parts of the terminals.

The city seeks unspecified damages. In 2005, officials estimated that it would cost $15 million to replace cracked steel welding on a canopy that will cover two lanes of the upper-level roadway in front of the terminals.

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