Implement tolling

The state and region have insufficient revenues to fund operations and maintenance of the existing transportation system. Broader implementation of tolling offers a clear path to rebuild the expressway system, while tying new fees to those who use it the most. Implementing managed lanes and additional tolling on the region’s existing expressway network would help relieve congestion, improve transit operations, and raise revenues to improve the condition of pavement and bridges. The Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)` should work with CMAP to identify and then implement a system of managed lanes and tolling, as appropriate, on both existing and new expressway capacity.

On new expressway capacity, the Tollway and IDOT should pursue managed lanes and tolling to provide project funding as well as manage demand for the system. To defray the costs of reconstruction, IDOT and the Tollway should implement tolling in conjunction with planned reconstruction of existing, untolled facilities. Tolling on existing expressways will help pay for the costs of reconstruction, as well as free up existing revenues for the remainder of the system. With each transportation reauthorization, federal policy has increasingly embraced tolling on interstate expressways, and current participation by Illinois in the Value Pricing Pilot Program creates additional tolling opportunities. Over the longer term, the technology associated with mileage-based user fees may even allow differential pricing on managed lanes without requiring construction of the tolling infrastructure needed today.