Thursday, July 18, 2013

Empire building continues

Here it comes, folks. The Illinois Tollway is about to reach further into your pockets.

In a message from the Tollway today I read, "A new, all-electronic interchange on I-90 at Illinois Route 47 in Huntley is scheduled to open this fall."

Maybe this was announced in the past and I missed it. Since the Tollway boosted its tolls, I have been willing to spend a little more time on surface roads and skip the tolls. Out of principle. Anyone else doing to same?

The Tollway is driving Illinois, all right. To ruin... There are some people who remember the promises that roads would be free after bonds were paid off.

It worked in Colorado. The Boulder Turnpike was built as a toll road. Promises were made that the road would be free after bonds were paid. Promises were kept. But that's Colorado. Not Illinois.

6 comments:

Cal Skinner said...

Such a promise to turn a tollway into a freeway was kept in Kentucky, too.

Big Daddy said...

Considering the time I save by using the tollroads,it's well worth it.

Nick C said...

The tollways in the Chicago area are in a perpetual state of construction. To say one saves time on the tollway is at best, a joke. Additionally, tollway drivers are in constant jeopardy of having their purses and wallets harvested by construction zone speed and cellphone laws. Just go 45 mph you say? Good luck.

Gus said...

When I revise my Will, I shall include, "If I am killed on the Tollway while obeying the speed limit, I direct my Executor to sue the Illinois Tollway for failure to enforce the posted speed limits, including in Work Zones."

Gus said...

I detest the way in which the Illinois Tollway rips off low-income drivers (who can't afford an I-Pass), occasional Tollway users and out-of-state motorists by the exorbitant increase in toll for Cash users.

Does anyone know the payscale for a Tollway toll collector in the manual lanes? Out of sight, I'll bet, for a job that any 7-11 clerk could do.

The Usual Suspect said...

I don't have, and never will have an I-Pass. For the few times I need to drive the Tollway it is not worth the expense. I guess if you travel east, I-Pass is reciprocal in other states such as Indiana, Ohio, PennSLOWvania and NY. I don’t know if it is reciprocal in Oklahoma on the throughway or a couple other states with local tolls. Drive West on either 90 or 94 and the highways are great and NO TOLLS. Travel I-80 all the way to the West Coast and no tolls but travel 80/90/94 into Indiana and get out your wallet. Tolls and more tolls. Guess we are lucky they didn’t make I-39 a Tollway. The Tollway is a haven to reward the ‘faithful’ with patronage jobs.

Have you seen how much money the “ IDOT Minutemen” make? Some make nearly $170,000 working holidays and overtime and double their regular salary. I say privatize IDOT and make the Tollway part of the regular State Highway system. End the patronage jobs. Private industry can do it cheaper and more efficiently. BUT where would the politicians hide their cronies?