Tollway revolving door, sort of, and congestion pricing

Way too much to cram in this week, so let's get going.

For starters, you may remember the controversy that erupted in fall 2008, when former Illinois Tollway chief Brian McPartlin exited the agency in order to take a job with McDonough Associates, an engineering firm that has received millions of dollars in tollway contracts.

Illinois' ethics law and specifically its revolving-door policy prevents state officials for one year after leaving government from accepting positions at companies they've done business with.

Of course, this being Illinois, officials can apply for a waiver, which McPartlin did, stating in his request that he had limited contact with the firm. Enter Attorney General Lisa Madigan who petitioned the Illinois Ethics Commission to refuse granting McPartlin an exception because she believed he had a clear conflict of interest.

McPartlin ended up backing away from the job offer. However, nearly two years later, he is company vice president. Reached at the firm's offices in Chicago Friday, McPartlin said he waited until the one-year ban expired before starting work at McDonough and had little else to say.

I asked Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials how they planned to avoid any ethical quandaries - assuming they receive proposals from McDonough in the future for engineering work. The agency had no comment.

Flotsam and jetsambull; Speaking of the tollway, directors talked congestion pricing with the Metropolitan Planning Council's Peter Skosey Thursday. The concept involves charging more for a less-congested lane during rush-hour or restricting certain lanes to carpoolers. An MPC study found that building an extra lane on I-55 between I-355 and the circle interchange and charging $5.39 for its use would cut morning travel times from 47 to 25 minutes as of 2020. A similar lane on the Jane Addams Tollway between Route 31 and the Tri-State with a $5.89 fee would shave morning commutes from 69 minutes to 21 minutes. Stay tuned for more on this issue.bull; The Regional Transportation Authority announced 27 towns and agencies that will receive funding for a variety of innovative projects intended to encourage use of transit and improve efficiency. Some of the recipients are: Elgin for a plan to redevelop the Chicago Street Metra station area; Naperville for a study on the feasibility of a bus depot by its downtown Metra station; Rolling Meadows for a study on improving pedestrian access to the Golf Road corporate park; three programs for disabled riders and seniors in DuPage, Kane and McHenry counties; and two programs for circulators (small buses that serve areas not covered by fixed bus routes) in Lake County and Lombard. The RTA board still needs to approve the finalists, and there's always a chance the grant funding could be used to fill budget holes elsewhere.bull; Here's a look at some local winners of the 2010 Metra safety poster and safety essay contests for school-age children. First place in the poster category was first-grader Rachael Yoo from Hoffman Estates. Second place went to kindergartner Aayush Desai of Naperville, sixth-grader Jennifer Barrera of West Chicago and ninth-grader Jacob Pollack of Batavia. Third-place finishers were second-grader Margarita Ruiz and seventh-grader Kevin Rezek, both of Lombard; ninth-grader Emilio Tenuta of Batavia, and 10th-grader Leslie Michaelchuck of Cary. And, 12th-grader Katie Finlon of Cary won first place in the safety essay contest.Incomingbull; The tollway and Illinois State Police will offer child safety seat inspections next week. Events are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following days: Tuesday at the Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis; Wednesday at the Belvidere Oasis; and Thursday at the Lake Forest Oasis.