Elgin-Ohare to be regions most expensive toll road
Looks like the free-ride is coming to an end, and the corrupt Illinois tollway authority will be extracting money from the wallets of the drivers using the Elgin Ohare express.
At a rate of 0.20cents per mile, it will be the most expensive toll road in the region. source Chicago Tribune »articles.chicagotribune. ··· oll-road
Although it has been convenient for me, it looks like it will add $2 to my daily commute ($1 each way, about $522 per year for me). Fortunately other options do exist such as lake street, which I am sure will see a significant increase in traffic from the west.
I wonder how long it will take before they rename I290 to I355 and make it a toll road...
That's not even in cook county is it? That's what's more shocking to me.
Most of it is. Devon Ave is the county line between Dupage & Cook. The map isn't clear. I am not sure where the western boundary for Cook ends. I know Rt. 53 is Cook County to Thorndale, south of that is Dupage.
You're right about Lake Street traffic going up. When I lived in the Roselle/Schaumburg area, I never really used the "Elgin/O'Hare". It was more of a novelty. Side streets were faster to get that far west to Lake Street. Even with open tolling, I think that traffic will be so screwed in that area.
In order to pay for extending IL53 north beyond Lake-Cook road, they are looking into making it a tollway. But, even making only the new section toll probably could not pay for it, even with Elgin-OHare level tolls. One of the options is to turn most of 53 into a tollway, too.
Even worse, that new extension would probably be only two lanes each direction, with a 45mph speed limit. Basically, a toll parkway, not an expressway.
While its not a link, its a story from one of my friends from High School. So, this was back in the late 80's.
My friend, his brother, and their father were driving from Chicago to Sandusky, OH to go to Cedar Point. All the way across the state of Indiana, they of course drove the Indiana Toll Road.
They never saw a cop, so the dad was driving 70-80 MPH (posted speed limit was 55 MPH).
When they got to the Indiana / Ohio state line, their father gave the toll collector the ticket that they had picked up on the Illinois / Indiana side of the Toll Road. The woman said that the toll would be $4.25, plus $75 for speeding.
Since the tickets had a date/time on them, she knew what time they entered the state, and she of course knew what time it was when they got to her. She knew it was impossible to cross the state in that short of time, unless the person was speeding.
So, my friends dad paid $79.25, and they went on their way.
I would guess that 28 years later, technology would improve on this, so it is entirely possible that they can improve on this. With red light cameras now a lot of the intersections around the area, they should be able to come up with some way to do this too.
On a side note, I've always found it odd / funny that the "Elgin-O'Hare Expressway" never actually got you to either location directly!
With the iPass readers here (and similar devices elsewhere), there have been fears that they would be used to check for speeding. In some areas, there could be laws preventing that. I don't think the tollway here does that, but who knows about other parts of the country.
Given that most people have a cell phone these days, that could be tracked and used to find your speed!
Exactly. I also own a real GPS (meaning, not one on my phone, but a Garmin nuvi model # 1350LMT) that tells me how fast I am going, and, in some areas, what the speed limit is. I don't know, but maybe the GPS has some way to keep track of the number of times I speed. I know the numbers change from black to red if I do go over the limit, even by 1 MPH.
With the iPass readers here (and similar devices elsewhere), there have been fears that they would be used to check for speeding. In some areas, there could be laws preventing that. I don't think the tollway here does that, but who knows about other parts of the country.
Given that most people have a cell phone these days, that could be tracked and used to find your speed!
I doubt that speeding tickets will be issues with any type of *Pass system (PlatePass, I-Pass, SunPass,etc..). Why? it's simple - FREE CASH MONEY on the Interest that is earned in the pass systems. Most if not all open toll systems are Pre-Pay. We're talking millions (possibly billions) in free interest cash for those systems or states.
If any of the toll-roads were to go and enforce speeding violations, you could possibly lose a large portion of that free cash, much more that could be earned by charging a larger amount for a non-prepaid toll or handing out speeding tickets. You can't tell me that a majority of truckers or even heavy travelers that want to speed would not just take out a few hundred in cash each year to pay the tolls to avoid a $200 dollar (or more) ticket.
There are only a few systems that do the toll-ticket on entry and payment on exit - all in the Northeast. All the other systems are still pay per x miles or on exit (Illinois). There's only a few that are 100% cashless (bridge systems in Washington state and California, maybe Texas too) that require you to register your car plates to pay the toll.
Sure they can track you - Every mile you travel on a toll-road, every exit and every entry, but why kill the free cash cow? People tend to forget we just fork over $20 or $40 for a "Refill". Why do you think the transponders are free for Illinois? It costs them nothing to give that out to earn millions or billions on that cash.
I take york-thorndale-I290s to/from Ohare so it will be interesting to see how this effects my commute. The interchange at York and Thorndale will be intersting too when they start working on that. From what it looks like to me, from Ohare west to I290 still will be toll-free. When I get on I290 though I see the construction has started now.
All these improvements at Ohare - new runways, taxiways, approaches/arrivals and yet we still have to de-ice at the gate (As opposed to going to remote de-ice pads like 99% of all airports) which causes total gate grid lock when it snows.
When done, it looks like I could skip the whole trip out to 290 and just take the new western bypass all the way to 294. But until it's done, going to be a nasty change to my commute to/from Ohare.
When they got to the Indiana / Ohio state line, their father gave the toll collector the ticket that they had picked up on the Illinois / Indiana side of the Toll Road. The woman said that the toll would be $4.25, plus $75 for speeding.
I thought it was well known that Indiana does this.
Next time, stop for a coffee break before you exit the tollway.
Just do what I did, Move!!!! I moved to the Upper Peninsula of Mi. And have had to go back twice to Il. I needed a frigging map!!! It had changed that much...
I am NEVER GOING THERE AGAIN!!!!! Also I really don't care for WI. either.. Similar bull there only No toll roads..
Oh and I forgot don't get a flat tire on the Tollroad you can't change your self... You need to call a tow truck to take you to a service station to have it fixed... And that is after they check you out for warrants or to make sure it is your vehicle or you did not steal and the cops are looking for you... Oh and I for got the beast part, When the tow truck arrives it is $165.00 to Load the vehicle and $3.00 a mile...
When they got to the Indiana / Ohio state line, their father gave the toll collector the ticket that they had picked up on the Illinois / Indiana side of the Toll Road. The woman said that the toll would be $4.25, plus $75 for speeding.
I thought it was well known that Indiana does this.
No, they don't. I can't tell you how many times I have sped through Indiana on my way out east and not gotten a speeding ticket at the toll booth - either with a paper toll ticket or E-ZPass. Everybody says Pennsylvania does this too, but they don't.
Everyone seems to have these stories, but they're all second-hand and nobody has any proof.
Ive been happy, my commute to O'hare from Lisle took me 88-355/290 and I got off at Thorndale to take that east to ORD. Fortunately, up until the past week or so, all the construction was west of 290 so I never had to experience any delays. Well, they have finally started working west of 290. Haven't really touched the road except the interchange but it's bound to cause a headache.
FORTUNATELY! I can finally ditch my drive into work as I am happy to announce my wife and I are moving to the Logan Square area and I can now blue line it to work.
Projects totaling $8.32 billion are needed to maintain the existing Tollway system: • Reconstructing and widening the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) • Reconstructing the central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and Edens Spur (I-94) • Preserving the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) • Preserving the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) • Repairing roads, bridges and maintenance facilities • Other capital projects
New Priority Projects
Projects totaling $3.83 billion are included to improve regional mobility:
Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) Transit Opportunities • Creating 21st century, state-of-the-art corridor linking Rockford to O'Hare • Planning for transit options in conjunction with rebuilding and widening
Tri-State Tollway (I-294)/I-57 Interchange Construction • Linking I-294 and I-57 • Increasing economic development opportunities throughout the Chicago Southland, including improved access for local communities and freight
Elgin O'Hare Western Access Construction • Rehabilitating and widening existing Elgin O'Hare Expressway • Building new all-electronic roadways to link O'Hare and surrounding communities and businesses • Increasing travel efficiency for commuters and commerce
How the heck is it costing $2.1 billion to expand 294 to 10 lanes for 22 miles when it cost $2.2 billion to expand 90 to 8 lanes to Randall and to 6 lanes to 39? That was 22 + 37 miles of roadway.
How the heck is it costing $2.1 billion to expand 294 to 10 lanes for 22 miles when it cost $2.2 billion to expand 90 to 8 lanes to Randall and to 6 lanes to 39? That was 22 + 37 miles of roadway.
How the heck is it costing $2.1 billion to expand 294 to 10 lanes for 22 miles when it cost $2.2 billion to expand 90 to 8 lanes to Randall and to 6 lanes to 39? That was 22 + 37 miles of roadway.
Isn't the part being expanded the "Central" part -- basically between 55 and 90? A lot of the Tri State near the southern edge of O'Hare is elevated -- expensive. I would imagine reconfiguring the 88/290/294 interchange for a wider 294 is also is pretty pricey. And if it also includes widening the "Mile Long Bridge" just south of I-55 before the Toll Booths, that also is probably pretty pricey
And while they are at it, probably building the approaches and ramps for the future O'Hare Ring Road Bypass Tollway to connect over to the Elgin/O'Hare
Plus it is probably one of the busier roadways and roadway segments in the State - gonna be a lot of off hours scheduling and working in "phases" to maintain as much traffic capacity as possible.
I don't find it that unreasonable that the Central Tri State would cost a lot more than I-90 out to Rockford.
BTW are there any improvement plans for the I-90/I-290 interchange? Way too much traffic for a functional cloverleaf...