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Equity Office announced a major overhaul to Willis Tower's elevator system, the first in the 45-year history of Chicago's tallest building. Equity is enlisting Otis Elevator to replace the building's 83 passenger and freight elevators, as well as their respective machine rooms, motors, cables and controls.
The overhaul is expected to take five years to complete. When finished, passengers will get to their destinations 30% faster, and Equity Office will see a 35% reduction in energy usage. Willis Tower's elevator system carries 5.8 million people and makes 42,247 trips annually. The new cables being used in the overhaul total 64 miles in length — equal to the distance between Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The elevator work will begin in June and is part of Equity Office's $500M renovation plan for Willis Tower.
