Opinion

Learn from past: No more tollways

Posted January 30, 2009 10:00 pm

The Lake County Board is considering whether they should support the extension of Route 53 as a tollway. After reading all of the negative articles about our tollway, corruption and pay-to-play politics for many years, I do not know how anyone could favor any more tollways. The cost of the Route 53 extension should be paid for with motor fuel tax as all other Illinois roads are paid for. The tollway should have been made a freeway in 1984, but instead it has been kept in debt and now the bonds have been extended until 2037. Five hundred million dollars has been spent on installing I-Pass. Why did they have to spend that amount when they already had a way to collect money for roads which is at the gas pump?

The proposed Illinois Highway 120 east-west bypass is going to cost $500 million. Our politicians should get our state house in order before increasing the debt anymore. Contact our leitenant governor, state senators and state representatives and let them we do not need or want anymore tollways in Illinois. FREE THE TOLLWAY.

Elmer Henning

Northbrook

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