Chicago's Meigs Airfield closed for "homeland security reasons."

Sneaking in under the cover of darkness, city of Chicago construction crews began tearing up the runway at Meigs Field this morning at about 1:30 a.m. There was no advance warning, not even to the FAA. Some 16 aircraft are stranded on the field. A city source told the Chicago media that the "airport is closed for good" for "homeland security reasons."

The Meigs control tower had no idea about the closing. Closing the airport also closes the tower, which monitored the airspace near downtown Chicago. Ironically, while Daley frequently complains "nobody knows anything about those airplanes flying near Chicago," closing the tower means that there is now no air traffic control exercised over aircraft flying along the lakefront.Chicago Mayor Daley had sought to close Meigs until a year ago, when an historic agreement between the city and the State of Illinois "guaranteed" the airport's survival for 25 years. Daley gave his word that he would not seek to close Meigs in exchange for support for his plan to expand O'Hare International Airport and build a new airport at Peotone.