Pace, tollway move forward on carpool/express bus lane

Pace and the Illinois Tollway applied for federal funding Tuesday to put express buses on I-294 connecting workers in the South suburbs with jobs in Oak Brook and O'Hare Airport.

The concept, which has been questioned by lawmakers, involves taking an existing lane on the Tri-State and converting it to a high-occupancy toll lane to be used by express buses and vehicles with more than one occupant.

State Sens. Susan Garrett and Jeff Schoenberg, who are holding hearings into tollway operations, have criticized the idea as an extension of the controversial "Green Lanes" or carpool lanes, introduced a year ago as part of a $1.8 billion building program but now on hold.

Tollway officials say the express bus plan is different from the Green Lanes and would require approval from the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board if federal funds are obtained. All plans are preliminary, tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said.

The I-294 bus route is aimed at linking areas of high unemployment with job centers. It would extend from South Holland to the Rosemont CTA stop, which links up with Pace buses. It would include stops at 159th Street, 75th Street, Ogden Avenue, Oak Brook and the O'Hare Oasis.

"We are teaming with the tollway on an application that will potentially bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars into the region for a project that will not only address congestion but provide access to jobs for people that need it," Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said.

Schoenberg earlier called the proposal another version of the Green Lanes. Garrett said she was concerned the concept had not been studied or the public consulted. "My question is how thoroughly the tollway has looked into the benefit of having carpool lanes," she said. "It is controversial."

Some tollway users had criticized the Green Lanes because it would use a lane on tollways undergoing widening now. The $1.8 billion plan was delayed following former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest for corruption, including charges he was using the project for political gain.

Wilmot said if the agencies get the $200 million grant, which will be announced in February, the issue will go through a public process. "There is a lack of transit infrastructure at this time that provides a link from the south suburbs to the west and northwest suburban employment corridors," he said.

McGinnis said, "the first effort is to get the grant submitted. The second effort is to hope the full grant award comes through and determine how to move forward."