Dubious about the tollway’s rate hike? Here are some answers on tolls, projects and studies

Why does the Illinois tollway want to hike rates? How come an interchange study costs $240 million? Why are we rehabbing the Central Tri-State after fixing it?

The tollway’s proposed $26.5 billion capital plan, Driving Connections, is raising lots of questions. Here are some answers.

The big one for I-PASS users is why the agency intends to raise rates from an average of 7 cents a mile to 11 cents, or about 45 cents more per toll for passenger vehicles. The tollway would also impose increases based on the Consumer Price Index every two years starting in 2029.

If approved, a commuter who drives on I-88 from Naperville to work downtown and back 50 weeks a year and today pays an average of $375 annually in tolls would be charged about $600 in 2027.

Asked about the spike, officials said, “passenger vehicle rates have not increased in 15 years while costs and demand have continued to grow. This adjustment is needed to address maintenance and operational improvements to the tollway system.”

Driving Connections will “upgrade technologies and facilities, deliver interchange improvements that modernize or add access points to improve safety and connectivity, address bottlenecks and expand key road segments with strategic widening,” a spokesperson said.

The rate increase is projected to produce an additional $12.3 billion of toll revenue over the 15-year program between 2027 and 2042.

Some other questions:

Q. Why is the tollway fixing Route 390 when much of that toll road is new?

A. The pavement and bridges on Route 390 west of Meacham Road were constructed more than 30 years ago, so more significant repairs are planned for this older section, officials said.

Q. Why does the tollway plan to rehab the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) between Balmoral Avenue and 95th Street at a cost of about $1.49 billion? Wasn’t the pavement redone during the ongoing Central Tri-State widening project?

A. This rehabilitation work is scheduled at the end of the Driving Connections program as part of the tollway’s preventive maintenance approach, a spokesperson said.

“The existing pavement between Wolf Road and Balmoral Avenue was not replaced as part of the (previous capital program) as it has not yet reached the end of its useful life.”

Q. Can you provide more specifics about the Lee Street and Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) interchange upgrade in the capital plan?

A. Currently, there is only an eastbound ramp from Lee Street onto I-90, and a westbound exit onto Lee Street. A new eastbound exit ramp will be built, providing a direct route for trucks heading to O’Hare International Airport freight and cargo distribution centers and drivers bound for Rosemont and Des Plaines.

Q. On the northbound Tri-State, the tollway plans to widen three miles between Deerfield Road and Route 22, adding a fifth lane. Why is the tollway fixing such a short segment?

A. Planners “evaluated areas of the system to identify where widening could provide congestion relief. Widening the roadway to Route 22 will provide the capacity needed to alleviate the backups that occur due to traffic merging between northbound I-294 and the Edens Spur,” officials said.

Q. Why does a study and preliminary design for future improvements at the Tri-State (I-294) and I-90 interchange near Rosemont cost $240 million?

A. That’s “because it is a critical interstate-to-interstate connection similar to other complex interchanges on our system such as the I-294/I-88/I-290 Interchange,” officials said. “The current I-294/I-90 flyover ramp bridges were originally built in the 1950s with the original construction of the tollways, and while these bridges have been repaired over the years, they have yet to be replaced.”

Engineers will evaluate different options for improving traffic flow at the interchange and make a recommendation. The $240 million also includes final design for reconstructing the two nearly 2,000-foot-long flyovers and other upgrades. The contract will include “development of plans, specifications, final calculations and cost estimates necessary to prepare … any construction contracts for bid.”

Got a tollway or transportation question? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.