Meigs Field, Airport on Northerly Island, Chicago, United States.
Meigs Field was a decommissioned airport on Northerly Island in Chicago, Illinois. The single runway stretched 3,900 feet (1,189 meters) in length and 150 feet (46 meters) in width, with four helicopter pads at its southern section near McCormick Place.
The airport opened in December 1948 on an artificial peninsula originally created for the 1933 Century of Progress International Exposition. Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered workers to destroy the runway overnight on March 30, 2003, leaving sixteen aircraft stranded.
The facility carried the name of Merrill C. Meigs, a publisher who promoted aviation through his newspaper. For decades, it served as a quick link for business travelers between downtown and other Midwestern cities.
Access to the former facility was through a short road from South Lake Shore Drive. Today the site is part of a nature park with walking paths along Lake Michigan.
The sudden closure was carried out without warning while aircraft still sat on the grounds. Pilots later had to obtain special permission to take off from the damaged runway to retrieve their planes.
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