No tax money goes to tollway TV ads

When the Daily Herald printed the letter on July 9 with the headline, "Taxpayers shouldn't pay for tollway ads," we felt it was important to clear up the misperception that the tollway was using tax money to purchasing TV air time. The Illinois tollway funds itself through toll revenue collected from the drivers on our system and does not receive any state or federal tax dollars for maintenance and operations.

The advertising referenced in the letter is part of an agreement with NBC5 through which the toll authority provides access to traffic cameras free of charge and in return receives advertising at no cost. Consequently, no toll money is spent on purchasing TV commercials.

It is important for the tollway to use advertising to communicate I-PASS account information and driver safety information to the 1.4 million drivers who use the Illinois tollway system daily. Cooperative agreements like the one with NBC5 benefit our customers because they receive the information they need without using money collected through tolls. Rather, the money customers pay at tolls goes to road maintenance and construction.

Serving our customers is our No. 1 priority at the Illinois tollway. We use toll money to keep traffic running smoothly and to build roads that serve our customers' greatest interests.

Kristi Lafleur

Executive Director

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority