Tollway imposes 57% hikes on cars, 30% for trucks, with more to come

A massive rate increase in 2027 with additional hikes every two years sailed through the Illinois tollway board of directors Wednesday.

The initial proposal raises I-PASS passenger vehicle tolls from an average of 7 cents to 11 cents a mile, or 57%, and truckers would see a 30% jump.

That will be followed by inflation-related increases every two years tied to the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers. The CPI will be capped at 8% every two years, with a maximum CPI of 4% every year, officials said.

The proposed increase is part of the tollway’s 15-year, $26.5 billion Driving Connections capital program, which officials promise will reduce congestion, improve mobility and create jobs.

“Drivers rely on the tollway system every day and their expectations are clear — they want a system that is safe, they want a system that is reliable and prepared for the future,” Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said. “They want the tollway to address congestion, and they want the tollway to plan ahead rather than wait until infrastructure fails.”

Numerous drivers have said the higher rates will force them to pay hundreds more a year at a time when other costs like groceries are skyrocketing.

Starting in 2027, a commuter who drives on I-90 from Barrington to work downtown and back 50 weeks a year will be charged $950, up from $600 this year.

Drivers can use a tollway trip calculator to estimate their 2027 rates, but there are fewer specifics on the biennial increases.

If a 6% increase over two years was applied to the $950 paid by the Barrington commuter, it could grow to around $1,000 in 2029, or $400 more than in 2026, a preliminary analysis found.

For the last four years, average annual inflation ranged from 2.7% to 3.5%, tollway officials noted.

mpyke@dailyherald.com