Tollway transponders in your vehicles don't last forever

They had been together since 2000. They enjoyed cruising the Tri-State during rush hour, cranking "Free Bird" on the stereo and the smell of a new pine air freshener.

But one day he realized his faithful companion was nothing but - a zombie.

Now I've got your attention, have you thought about your transponder lately?

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority has. Turns out, transponders have a relatively short life expectancy - 81/2 years is the estimated time although it could be longer.

That means there were about 200,000 dead transponders on the road in 2009.

The tollway intends to start a pilot program in February, sending out letters to about 2,000 drivers who bought transponders in the late 1990s. The tollway uses a Mark IV transponder currently with a self-contained battery that can't be replaced.

"We're targeting a small group of people with transponders that have reached the end of their useful lives," tollway General Manager of Performance Measures Michael Catolico said.

Those who get letters will be given the option of switching their dead transponders for a living one at a selected Jewel grocery store, tollway headquarters in Downers Grove or at an oasis with a customer service center.

The pilot project will give the authority a chance to test the returned transponders and pinpoint the expiry date. It's also a chance to see how many addresses of I-PASS customers are out-of-date.

If I-PASS users can't be reached or fail to exchange the transponder, the agency could deactivate the device after a period of 30 days.

If you are driving with a transponder that's dead, it's likely your account will be debited anyway. The electronic tolling system takes a picture of a vehicle's license plate that's reviewed when an apparent toll violation occurs. If the missed toll matches an I-PASS customer, the fee is taken from the customer's account.

Right now, the number of zombie transponders is minimal compared what it will be in 2013 - the year of the living dead transponders. In 2013, more than 1.2 million transponders will require replacement.

And if you're wondering how to check that battery, drive through the cash section of any toll plaza and look for the blue and yellow lights that indicate I-PASS account status. If the lights don't come on, it's a sign the device has seen its best days.

Flotsam and jetsambull; Speaking of I-PASS accounts, the tollway is assessing the number of perks given to its employees, ranging from cell phones to cars to I-PASS transponders. Currently, 404 cell phones are issued to workers, including 78 BlackBerrys. In addition, 1,463 nonrevenue I-PASS transponders have been given to staff for travel to and from work and for agency business. There are 56 cars permanently assigned to employees who are on call.The issue was briefly discussed Thursday at the agency's monthly meeting. "I'm uncomfortable with a lot of I-PASSes floating around," toll board Director Bill Morris said, adding the agency needed to examine the issue and see where costs could be cut.bull; If construction on the Congress Parkway bridge into Chicago wasn't bad enough, watch out for Wacker Drive this April. Rebuilding the north-south section of Wacker - both upper and lower levels - from Congress to Randolph Street will start in April and last through 2012.