I-PASS customers, stakeholders spar over toll hike at hearing

Conflicting narratives about the merits and flaws of the Illinois tollway’s new $26.5 billion capital program and a related toll hike emerged Wednesday in Glen Ellyn.

“The tollway is safe, dependable and it’s efficient,” union carpenter Tony Vallay testified. “The tollway hasn’t had an increase in 15 years. Who in this room hasn’t had a raise in 15 years?”

Speaking of those who have complained about the proposed toll hike, Vallay said “nobody puts a gun to your head and says, ‘you have to take the tollway.’ It’s an option.”

But Brookfield’s Allen Goodcase said, “I really have a problem with entities that have a lot of money spending it the wrong way, and then asking for more — and that’s what I think is happening here. I think the tollway should do better than what it has been doing.”

The hearing at College of DuPage was one of 13 taking place statewide as the tollway touts its 15-year Driving Connections construction plan. The agency wants to raise passenger vehicle tolls for I-PASS users from an average of 7 cents a mile to 11 cents, a roughly 57% spike, beginning in 2027.

Truckers would pay 30% more, and all drivers would see cost-of-living increases every two years starting in 2029, if approved.

A chorus of labor unions, construction companies and engineering firms have endorsed the plan while opposition has come from I-PASS customers.

Greg Ochab of West Chicago critiqued “sitting next to two closed construction lanes, and they’ve been closed for months and no one’s working them. It just seems like there could be better planning there on how to get that done.”

However, Chicagoan Peter Schmidt detailed two-hour commutes to DuPage County, saying that “anything that can be done to help reduce that — I would appreciate it.” Toll roads “are maintained way better than the other roads I take on the other part of that commute, so I’m looking forward to keeping that up.”

At a previous hearing, a speaker recalled how state lawmakers promised the tollway would become a freeway after construction bonds were retired in 1973.

In 2026, that line of thinking “is not based in reality for any reason,” Michael Lingl of South Elgin commented.

Goodcase honed in on plans to spend $3.1 billion to fix the congested I-355 and I-88 interchange.

“It wasn’t done that long ago, so what’s wrong with it? Why does it have to be re-engineered now? And how do you know that the engineering firm that you have working on it now is doing a better job than the firm that did it (originally)?” Goodcase wondered.

International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 member Brandon Nailor of Schaumburg said that Driving Connections “investments will mean work for local contractors, suppliers and tradespeople, but they will also create longtime benefits for communities that depend on these corridors.”

In contrast, Mid-West Truckers Association Vice President Matt Wells warned of unintended consequences from the rate hike.

“To go from South Beloit (in Wisconsin) to Gary, Indiana, is going to cost $90.25 in tolls under this new rate program. What’s that going to look like for your local trucking companies?” Wells asked.

For information about upcoming forums, go to agency.illinoistollway.com/drivingconnections#PublicHearings.