Tollway examining interchange cost-sharing rules

It’s everyone’s dream commute — an access on and off the tollway near both your home and your workplace.

But interchanges don’t come cheaply. A partial interchange at the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) and Route 47 in Huntley will cost nearly $70 million with work set to start this spring.

So as it embarks on a $12 billion construction program, the Illinois tollway intends to revise some of its rules on sharing the costs of interchanges with local governments. The rebuilding and expansion of I-90, for example, offers an opportunity to add interchanges while construction is ongoing, officials said.

“The two most common requests I hear are for sound walls and interchanges,” Illinois State Toll Highway Authority Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said Wednesday at a finance committee meeting.The tollway now contributes a maximum of 50 percent of the price of a new or expanded interchange while local #8212; and, in some cases, state #8212; governments reimburse the tollway for the remainder. Traditionally, the tollway has required a sizable payment up front, for example 80 percent of the cost upon 20 percent completion of the work.Any extras beyond the basic project price are paid for by the government requesting them. Given the lackluster economy and limited resources of municipalities, the agency should consider giving its government partners more time to pay, tollway finance committee members said.#147;Some local governments are in a more difficult position (regarding) raising money,#148; tollway Director and Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner said.But that flexibility may come at a price #8212; the tollway may charge interest for payments extended over time.Tollway directors are expected to get into specifics of the revisions at an April meeting.