New state toll authority chief a familiar face

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is turning to its past for its future.

Tollway directors are expected to approve hiring former chief engineer Jeffrey Dailey as the new executive director on Oct. 30, officials announced Wednesday.

Dailey was chief engineer from 2004 to 2007 and a major player in starting up the authority's extension of I-355 South and a $6.3 billion congestion relief initiative. The construction program aims to increase lanes from three to four on clogged sections of the tollway system and is nearing completion.

Dailey now works as assistant executive director of project delivery with the North Texas Tollway Authority.

The North Texas Tollway Authority operates about 51 miles of roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area compared to the Illinois agency's 286 miles.

Dailey, who is expected to start Nov. 19, did not return phone calls Wednesday. It's unclear what his salary will be although current Executive Director Brian McPartlin was paid $189,000 a year.

If Dailey's hire is approved, he will oversee the completion of the agency's Congestion Relief program, which includes widening on the Tri-State, I-88, I-355 and Jane Addams tollway.

He'll also be in charge of a $1.8 billion new construction program that would install carpooling lanes on busy sections of the metropolitan area tollways, improve the interchange at I-90 and I-290/Route 53 and build a new access between I-294 and I-57 in the south suburbs.

Authority Chairman John Mitola said Dailey's engineering background would be an asset in the job.

Dailey previously has worked as an engineer with local and county governments in Ohio and Indiana, as well as Kane and DuPage counties.

McPartlin's last day is Friday. He resigned to take a job as vice president with McDonough Associates, an engineering and architectural firm that has done extensive business with the agency.

Tollway Chief of Staff Dawn Catuara will take over as acting executive director in the interim.