Illinois Tollway to test new tolling technology

Motorists on the Illinois Tollway might one day be able to use a smartphone app to pay tolls automatically while driving.

That's one of the technologies the agency wants to play with at a test site it plans to set up on a section of the Tri-State Tollway.

The Tollway announced the plan Wednesday, calling the test site a "living laboratory" where researchers can evaluate various technologies and new tolling products in real-world traffic conditions.

The test site is scheduled to open in 2015 and will cost $2.7 million.

Other products that could be evaluated include universal I-PASS transponders designed to be read by tolling systems in other states and feedback transponders that confirm when tolls are paid and remind drivers when their account balances are low.