Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Encyclopedia
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) is an instrumentality and administrative agency of the State of Illinois
, United States
. The roads, as well as the Authority itself, are sometimes referred to as the Illinois Tollway. The system opened in 1958 in the Chicago area, and has subsequently expanded to include the eastern and central sections of Interstate 88
(I-88) extending into the northwestern part of the state. Beginning in 2005, the system was reconstructed to include more lanes and open tolling. Open tolling uses I-Pass
transponders to collect revenue as vehicles pass antennas at toll plazas or designated entrance or exit ramps. ISTHA has been linked to political corruption cases which have resulted in the impeachment of an Illinois Governor and turnover of top ISTHA officials. , ISTHA maintains and operates 286 miles (460.3 km) of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois. ISTHA is nearing the end of a $3.6 billion construction program scheduled over 2005 through 2012.
and the head of the Illinois Department of Transportation
serve as ex officio members of the Tollway Board. The remaining 9 members are named by the governor. No more than 5 appointed members may be of the same political party as the governor. The Authority has the power to collect and raise tolls, and is responsible for the maintenance and construction of tollway roads and related signage (including electronic message boards, used for driving time notices, Amber Alerts
and other notifications). The Tollway also supervises and manages the seven Illinois Tollway oases
. The close relationship between the governor and the near-majority of appointed board members has led to numerous allegations of endemic corruption throughout the tollway authority's lifetime.
The ISTHA's annual budget for fiscal year 2010 totals $696 million. The ISTHA has 1,704 full-time employees, of which 754 are toll collectors. As of January 1, 2010, ISTHA has $4,074,675,000 in bond debt, which have been rated Aa3, AA- and AA- by Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings
and Standard & Poor's
, respectively. The ISTHA has the power to take lands by eminent domain
, and ISTHA's employees are subject to conflict of interest
laws enacted in 2005.
The Executive Director of ISTHA supervises 12 departments including Administration, Communications, Engineering, Directors and Executive, Finance, Information Technology, Inspector General, Legal, Toll Operations, Procurement, Business Systems, and Illinois State Police District 15. The Commander of District 15 of the State Police reports to both the Executive Director and to the Superintendent of the State Police, and the Tollway's General Counsel reports to both the Executive Director and the Illinois Attorney General
.
The Tollway is patrolled by both police and non-police fleets. State police patrol the Tollway System to provide comprehensive law enforcement services, including enforcing speed limits and traffic laws, assisting disabled motorists, a canine anti-drug unit, and overweight vehicle enforcement. The Tollway comprises a separate Illinois State Police District 15, one of 21 districts of the Illinois State Police
. ISTHA also operates a fleet of Highway Emergency Lane Patrol vehicles which assist stranded motorists with mechanical problems, flat tires or insufficient fuel. During 2008, the patrol assisted 38,031 motorists while logging nearly 1.5 million patrol miles.
(I-94/I-294) and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88, between Hillside and Sugar Grove). The first segment to open was the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway between Devon Avenue and Elgin on August 20, 1958 at 3 p.m. The Toll Highway Act, in its present form, dates from 1967, but has been amended since. Under the Act, on April 1, 1968, ISTHA assumed all the obligations, powers, duties, functions and assets of its predecessor agency, The Illinois State Toll Highway Commission.
In the 1970s, the East–West Tollway was extended west from Sugar Grove to Dixon, Illinois
with a freeway continuing to the Quad Cities. In 2004, ISTHA voted to rename this route the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. The route was later given the I-88 designation in order to obtain a higher speed limit.
In June 1984, Republican minority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
, James "Pate" Philip
, helped push through legislation authorizing the construction of the North–South Tollway, then referred to as simply the DuPage Tollway. Officials at the Morton Arboretum
, one of the nation's premier woodland research centers, promptly filed a federal lawsuit to block construction of the tollway. They also promised to prevent the tollway authority from obtaining environmental approval from federal officials. Ultimately, the lawsuit was settled, and I-355
was opened in 1989 as a tollway between Army Trail Road and I-55
near Bollingbrook. On November 24, 2007, a 12.5 miles (20.1 km) extension of I-355 opened to link I-55 to I-80. Construction of that I-355 extension began after years of delays and environmental litigation.
The Illinois Tollway website officially launched on September 1, 1997. The website includes online ordering of I-Pass transponders and managing I-Pass accounts. In 2009-2010, the website underwent a $4.4 million e-commerce overhaul.
In 2004, ISTHA made a strategic decision to expand and improve the tollway system instead of converting the roads to freeways. It adopted a $6.3 billion congestion-relief program named "Open Roads for a Faster Future". Under the program, the main toll plazas were rebuilt to have open road tolling
, so that drivers with transponders would drive at normal speeds under toll collecting equipment instead of stopping to pay tolls. The toll plazas were relocated to the side of the road to handle vehicles without transponders. The plan also included widening many of the toll roads, and resurfacing the others. I-355 was extended south of I-55 to connect to I-80
in New Lenox, Illinois
, a distance of 12.5 miles (20.1 km), in order to serve fast-growing areas of Will County. The project also includes adding an interchange between the Tri-State Tollway and I-57. These improvements were financed by long-term revenue bonds that require the system to remain as toll roads until the bonds are repaid in 2034.
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill) provided for federal subsidies of certain construction bonds. As a result, 35% of the interest expense from ISTHA's 2009 bonds will be paid by the Federal Government. On November 24, 2009, ISTHA sold $240 million in such bonds and had sold another $400 million in May 2009.
Historically, the Tollway had a lower speed limit for trucks. However, effective January 1, 2010, trucks are allowed to drive up to 65 miles per hour (29.1 m/s) on the segment of the Jane Addams Tollway west of milepost 49 and on the Reagan Tollway west of milepost 99. Trucks are limited to 55 miles per hour (24.6 m/s) on all other segments.
The Tri-State Tollway is the most traveled Tollway in the Tollway System, accounting for approximately 44% of the volume.
Except for the vicinity of O'Hare International Airport
, none enter the city of Chicago
. The Chicago Skyway
, which is owned by the City of Chicago but on a 99 year lease to the Skyway Concession Company, is the only toll road in Illinois that is not operated by ISTHA.
is used to charge trucks a rate which is $0.50 or $1.00 higher during rush hour than during off-peak hours.
Users pay tolls at designated plaza either by driving under a transponder antenna or by driving through a toll gate and paying cash. The cash price is twice the transponder price. Lesser tolls are also collected on entrance and exit ramps that are near the main toll plazas so that the average toll is about 2.6 cents per mile (1.6 cents per kilometer) for passenger vehicles with I-Pass. Trucks and commercial vehicles pay a higher toll, with a discount for travel during non-peak hours. The current rate structure is projected to generate $850 million in annual revenue by 2012.
The Illinois Tollway is one of the toll highway within the United States that accept pennies for toll payment in automatic toll lanes. The reason commonly given for this is that Abraham Lincoln
appears on the obverse of the US 1 cent piece, the penny, and Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln." Until the mid 1970s, the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (then the Northwest Tollway) used a ticket system on the segment between Elgin and Beloit to collect tolls based upon the exact mileage traveled. Drivers were handed a Hollerith card when they entered the segment and paid a toll when they left.
I-Pass is the Illinois Tollway’s electronic transponder toll collection system that allows drivers to pre-pay their tolls. , Tollway drivers use 3.3 million I-Pass transponders. Every toll lane on the system is equipped to accept I-Pass which can also be used on the Chicago Skyway and anywhere E-ZPass
is accepted. (E-ZPass is a transponder consortium of toll road authorities on the East Coast.)
A refundable deposit of $10 and $40 in pre-paid tolls is charged at the time of purchase. Illinois Tollway offers an auto-pay replenishment option by registering a credit or debit card to an I-Pass account at the time of activation. Each month, the minimum balance and replenishment amounts are recalculated based on the average usage during the previous six months. A special program for low-income motorists allows them to obtain I-Pass units with a reduced outlay of $20.
Users choosing to replenish their account without auto-pay are responsible for monitoring their transactions and balance and must pay a $20 refundable deposit. There are various options for self-pay replenishment, including the Tollway Service Centers located at five oasis rest stops
. Customers wishing to pay by check or cash can pay at the oasis customer service centers or can buy $20 I-Pass Gift Cards at Jewel-Osco.
The Illinois Tollway has implemented open road tolling
, allowing any vehicle with an I-PASS compatible transponder (including I-Zoom
and E-ZPass
users) to continue through the toll plaza at highway speeds while those paying cash have to stop at a tollbooth. If a vehicle registered with I-Pass passes through a toll collection without the transponder, the toll amount will be automatically deducted from the respective I-Pass account. This process is called "V-Tolls" (Video Tolls). V-Tolls in excess of 10 per month result in penalties.
In 2004, the Illinois Auditor General criticized the I-Pass system, because the system failed to check whether the transponder used correlated with the class of vehicle detected at a tolling point. As a result, large trucks may have been paying the lower tolls for passenger cars. The audit reports also found that ISTHA did not send out violation notices for all detected violations and did not properly follow up when drivers did not respond to the notices that were sent.
in Lisle
, Illinois. Original plans for this toll highway would have seen it constructed through the middle of land belonging to the Arboretum, and closer to the existing Illinois Route 53
. Construction on other projects has also been delayed, mostly through protests by area residents.
The ISTHA located its headquarters near the intersection of Interstates 88 and 355, in Downers Grove
, Illinois in a helipad
-equipped facility derisively nicknamed by press and politicians as the "Taj Mahal
". Visitors to the building are greeted by marble flooring and other niceties.
Further criticism in the 1980s and 1990s has centered on the continued existence of the ISTHA itself, and its quasi-independent status from even the Illinois General Assembly. The original decision to build the tollway was made in an era when five states used toll roads to create a superhighway between New York and Chicago. This predated the Interstate Highway System
and the associated funding from federal gasoline taxes. Critics argue that Tollway users are paying twice, first by paying tolls and then by paying the same gasoline taxes that other motorists pay. Citizens' groups formed in the 1990s to try to force the ISTHA to disband, and convert the toll highways in Illinois into freeways. This stems from the 1953 law that established the then Illinois State Toll Highway Commission. By 1999, Governor George Ryan
began to publicly discuss the closure of the ISTHA and the abolition of toll collection in Illinois, but the plans were eclipsed by Ryan's increasing scandals. After Ryan declined to run for re-election and his successor, Governor Rod Blagojevich
, had been elected (but had not yet taken office), the ISTHA board publicly suggested a sudden hike in toll rates that the new Governor could simply blame on his outgoing predecessor. The previous adjustment to Illinois toll rates had taken place in 1983. The ISTHA would have been able to raise rates without approval of the Illinois General Assembly
because of its quasi-independent nature. However, a rate hike did not go into effect at that time. Ultimately, the toll rates for I-Pass users remained at 1983 prices while the toll rate for cash payers doubled. Practically, the I-Pass system and open road tolling
appears to have removed the annoying aspect of toll collection which motivated many toll opponents, and subsequently the calls to ending the tolls have quieted.
One aspect of the argument is that by having a single toll road system for the state that controls the major commuter routes into Chicago and the major circumferential route around the city, commuters and long-haul truckers who use the original system that was built in 1958 are subsidizing the subsequent routes, I-88
to Dixon, Illinois
and I-355 in DuPage County, Illinois
. As a result, instead of the original routes becoming freeway, the revenues from the original system subsidized less intensively used routes that could not be financed on a stand-alone basis.
Other criticism has involved the use of the I-Pass
transponder system. First, some of this criticism has come from privacy advocates, who decry the use of tracking transponders. In response, ISTHA is upgrading the security of its data networks. Second, other I-Pass related criticism came in late 2004, when higher tolls were proposed for drivers who do not use the I-Pass system. Tolls were doubled for non-I-Pass users as of January 1, 2005. Third, controversy surrounded the reciprocal use of I-Pass by Illinois motorists and I-Zoom
by Indiana motorists on the other state's toll road. Each state charges the other a transaction fee when the out-of-state transponder is used to pay a toll. Until January 1, 2010, the fee was absorbed, with I-Pass users paying twice as many Indiana tolls and I-Zoom users paying Illinois tolls. To address this imbalance, ISTHA began charging I-Pass users a 3 cent surcharge on each of their Indiana tolls, effective January 1, 2010.
Tolls were also raised on that date for drivers of larger vehicles. Under the congestion relief strategy, creating financial incentives for commercial and interstate truckers to use the tollways at non-peak travel times would reduce delays for daily commuters. Tractor-trailer drivers now have to pay increased rates during peak travel times (generally daytime hours during weekdays), but may pay decreased rates during non-peak travel times (though these rates are still an increase over those that were in effect until January 1, 2005). Some truck drivers had threatened court action or boycotts of the toll highway system.
The Sierra Club criticized the capital projects as adding to urban sprawl while hurting air quality. In response, the expense of the Open Road Tolling Program
has justified by claiming it significantly decreases the amount of pollution from vehicle exhaust that enters the air. This is because the old barrier style tollbooths adds to the amount of time that certain vehicles spend on the roadway by requiring them to slow down, stop, and sometimes idle for several minutes while waiting to pay their tolls. The introduction of the I-Pass system has greatly alleviated this problem since all vehicles with an I-Pass or E-Zpass can continue to travel at normal highway speeds through the toll plazas.
In 2003, during Governor George Ryan's administration, the ISTHA entered into a public-private partnership
with Wilton Partners to renovate the oasis rest stops
in exchange for a 25 year lease. That lease has been the subject of various investigations, including the political connections between food vendors in the oases with former Governor Blagojevich. Ultimately, Wilton Partners' lender foreclosed on the Oases.
The ISTHA experienced high leadership turnover amid controversy. On November 19, 2008, Jeffrey Dailey began serving as Executive Director of ISTHA. On December 9, 2008, Governor Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges including allegations that he solicited campaign donations from Tollway construction contractors. On December 18, Dalley resigned claiming that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
would not grant waivers from the state ethics law that prohibited high level ISTHA executives from being employed by contractors within a year of leaving office. In January 2009, Governor Blagojevich was impeached, tried, and removed from office for abuse of power, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor
Pat Quinn
. Following this, the ISTHA Board appointed a new chief executive without consulting Quinn. On August 12, 2009, John Mitola, who was appointed the ISTHA Board Chairman in 2003 by Governor Blagojevich, resigned for personal reasons. The next day, Governor Quinn appointed a new chairman and two new board members. Ex-ISTHA Chairman Mitola was reported to have failed to disclose an investment in a real estate development with former state purchasing and contracting CEO Michael Rumman under ousted Governor Blagojevich. In addition, a number of top ISTHA staff members have left in 2009.
The congestion relief program involves separate construction projects scheduled each year beginning with 2005. In addition to the I-355 extension project begun in 2005, these projects continue. To speed traffic flow, the 20 main toll plazas were rebuilt to allow vehicles with transponders to drive straight at normal speeds, while new plazas were built to the side for vehicles without transponders. Each year, selected portions of the road received additional lanes and wider lanes and rebuild and restore most of the system. An interchange between I-57 and the Tri-State Tollway
is also planned near Harvey, Illinois
. Construction improvements slated for 2010 in the budget include resurfacing and rehabbing the Edens Expressway Spur, resurfacing on I-355 from I-88 to Army Trail Road and resurfacing the I-90-Kennedy Expressway from the Tri-State to the Elgin Toll Plaza.
The program also included rebuilding the Cherry Valley interchange between I-90 and I-39 on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The new $89 million interchange was completed on November 13, 2009. The multi-year congestion relief program is expected to cost $6.1 billion, down from an original estimate of $6.3 billion.
. The plan is expected to cost $400 million to implement between 2010 and 2015. The extra revenues from the green lane tolls would pay for $1.4 billion in bonds that would not only finance the green lanes but would also fund the I-57 interchange with the Tri-State Tollway
and a redesign of the interchange between I-290
and the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. According to the criminal complaint filed by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
, Governor Blagojevich, prior to announcing the Green Lanes plan, instructed a lobbyist to solicit a $500,000 campaign contribution from a Tollway construction contractor. Following Governor Blagojevich's impeachment, the ISTHA replaced the green lanes program with a $1.8 billion "Congestion Relief Program II."
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The roads, as well as the Authority itself, are sometimes referred to as the Illinois Tollway. The system opened in 1958 in the Chicago area, and has subsequently expanded to include the eastern and central sections of Interstate 88
Interstate 88 (west)
Interstate 88 is an intrastate Interstate Highway in the state of Illinois. It runs from an interchange with Interstate 80 near Silvis and Moline to an interchange with Interstates 290 and 294 in Hillside, near Chicago...
(I-88) extending into the northwestern part of the state. Beginning in 2005, the system was reconstructed to include more lanes and open tolling. Open tolling uses I-Pass
I-Pass
I-PASS is the electronic toll collection system used by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority on its toll highways. It uses the same transponder as the E-ZPass system used in the Northeastern US, and the Indiana Toll Road's i-Zoom program....
transponders to collect revenue as vehicles pass antennas at toll plazas or designated entrance or exit ramps. ISTHA has been linked to political corruption cases which have resulted in the impeachment of an Illinois Governor and turnover of top ISTHA officials. , ISTHA maintains and operates 286 miles (460.3 km) of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois. ISTHA is nearing the end of a $3.6 billion construction program scheduled over 2005 through 2012.
Structure
The Tollway is governed by an 11-member board of directors. The Governor of IllinoisGovernor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
and the head of the Illinois Department of Transportation
Illinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel tax and federal funding to local juridictions in the...
serve as ex officio members of the Tollway Board. The remaining 9 members are named by the governor. No more than 5 appointed members may be of the same political party as the governor. The Authority has the power to collect and raise tolls, and is responsible for the maintenance and construction of tollway roads and related signage (including electronic message boards, used for driving time notices, Amber Alerts
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
and other notifications). The Tollway also supervises and manages the seven Illinois Tollway oases
Illinois Tollway oasis
An Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of commercialized rest area sited along interstate highways that are toll roads in Illinois, United States. The seven oases offer food and gasoline vendors and are found in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, DeKalb, and Belvidere...
. The close relationship between the governor and the near-majority of appointed board members has led to numerous allegations of endemic corruption throughout the tollway authority's lifetime.
The ISTHA's annual budget for fiscal year 2010 totals $696 million. The ISTHA has 1,704 full-time employees, of which 754 are toll collectors. As of January 1, 2010, ISTHA has $4,074,675,000 in bond debt, which have been rated Aa3, AA- and AA- by Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings
Fitch Ratings
The Fitch Group is a majority-owned subsidiary of FIMALAC, headquartered in Paris. Fitch Ratings, Fitch Solutions and Algorithmics, are part of the Fitch Group....
and Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's is a United States-based financial services company. It is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks and bonds. It is well known for its stock-market indices, the US-based S&P 500, the Australian S&P/ASX 200, the Canadian...
, respectively. The ISTHA has the power to take lands by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, and ISTHA's employees are subject to conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
laws enacted in 2005.
The Executive Director of ISTHA supervises 12 departments including Administration, Communications, Engineering, Directors and Executive, Finance, Information Technology, Inspector General, Legal, Toll Operations, Procurement, Business Systems, and Illinois State Police District 15. The Commander of District 15 of the State Police reports to both the Executive Director and to the Superintendent of the State Police, and the Tollway's General Counsel reports to both the Executive Director and the Illinois Attorney General
Illinois Attorney General
The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by election through universal suffrage...
.
The Tollway is patrolled by both police and non-police fleets. State police patrol the Tollway System to provide comprehensive law enforcement services, including enforcing speed limits and traffic laws, assisting disabled motorists, a canine anti-drug unit, and overweight vehicle enforcement. The Tollway comprises a separate Illinois State Police District 15, one of 21 districts of the Illinois State Police
Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
. ISTHA also operates a fleet of Highway Emergency Lane Patrol vehicles which assist stranded motorists with mechanical problems, flat tires or insufficient fuel. During 2008, the patrol assisted 38,031 motorists while logging nearly 1.5 million patrol miles.
History
The original Toll Highway Authority was established in 1941. After construction of the first toll highways in Illinois was delayed by World War II, the Illinois State Toll Highway Commission was established in 1953. The first three toll highways in the Chicago area were all planned, constructed, and finally opened in 1958 under the authority of this Commission. These first three toll highways are the present day Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90/I-39/US 51), the Tri-State TollwayTri-State Tollway
The Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
(I-94/I-294) and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88, between Hillside and Sugar Grove). The first segment to open was the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway between Devon Avenue and Elgin on August 20, 1958 at 3 p.m. The Toll Highway Act, in its present form, dates from 1967, but has been amended since. Under the Act, on April 1, 1968, ISTHA assumed all the obligations, powers, duties, functions and assets of its predecessor agency, The Illinois State Toll Highway Commission.
In the 1970s, the East–West Tollway was extended west from Sugar Grove to Dixon, Illinois
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
with a freeway continuing to the Quad Cities. In 2004, ISTHA voted to rename this route the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. The route was later given the I-88 designation in order to obtain a higher speed limit.
In June 1984, Republican minority leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
, James "Pate" Philip
James Philip
James "Pate" Philip , is a Republican from Wood Dale, Illinois. Philip was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1966 to 1975, and the Illinois Senate from 1975 until his retirement in 2003...
, helped push through legislation authorizing the construction of the North–South Tollway, then referred to as simply the DuPage Tollway. Officials at the Morton Arboretum
Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. The Arboretum has over 4,100 different species of...
, one of the nation's premier woodland research centers, promptly filed a federal lawsuit to block construction of the tollway. They also promised to prevent the tollway authority from obtaining environmental approval from federal officials. Ultimately, the lawsuit was settled, and I-355
Interstate 355
Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
was opened in 1989 as a tollway between Army Trail Road and I-55
Interstate 55 in Illinois
In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 55 is a major north–south Interstate Highway that connects the St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago metropolitan areas. It runs from the Poplar Street Bridge in East St. Louis to U.S. Route 41 near downtown Chicago...
near Bollingbrook. On November 24, 2007, a 12.5 miles (20.1 km) extension of I-355 opened to link I-55 to I-80. Construction of that I-355 extension began after years of delays and environmental litigation.
The Illinois Tollway website officially launched on September 1, 1997. The website includes online ordering of I-Pass transponders and managing I-Pass accounts. In 2009-2010, the website underwent a $4.4 million e-commerce overhaul.
In 2004, ISTHA made a strategic decision to expand and improve the tollway system instead of converting the roads to freeways. It adopted a $6.3 billion congestion-relief program named "Open Roads for a Faster Future". Under the program, the main toll plazas were rebuilt to have open road tolling
Open road tolling
Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow...
, so that drivers with transponders would drive at normal speeds under toll collecting equipment instead of stopping to pay tolls. The toll plazas were relocated to the side of the road to handle vehicles without transponders. The plan also included widening many of the toll roads, and resurfacing the others. I-355 was extended south of I-55 to connect to I-80
Interstate 80 in Illinois
In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 80 is an Interstate Highway that runs from the Quad Cities east to south of Chicago. It is a main east–west route for trafficcoming and going through Illinois, especially for cross-country truckers....
in New Lenox, Illinois
New Lenox, Illinois
New Lenox is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village population is estimated to be 24,938 as of 2006. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning forecasts New Lenox will have a population of 90,652 in 2030.-Geography:...
, a distance of 12.5 miles (20.1 km), in order to serve fast-growing areas of Will County. The project also includes adding an interchange between the Tri-State Tollway and I-57. These improvements were financed by long-term revenue bonds that require the system to remain as toll roads until the bonds are repaid in 2034.
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill) provided for federal subsidies of certain construction bonds. As a result, 35% of the interest expense from ISTHA's 2009 bonds will be paid by the Federal Government. On November 24, 2009, ISTHA sold $240 million in such bonds and had sold another $400 million in May 2009.
Historically, the Tollway had a lower speed limit for trucks. However, effective January 1, 2010, trucks are allowed to drive up to 65 miles per hour (29.1 m/s) on the segment of the Jane Addams Tollway west of milepost 49 and on the Reagan Tollway west of milepost 99. Trucks are limited to 55 miles per hour (24.6 m/s) on all other segments.
Toll roads
, ISTHA maintains and operates 286 miles (460.3 km) of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, comprising four routes:- Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90/I-39/US 51)
- Veterans Memorial TollwayInterstate 355Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
(I-355) - Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88)
- Tri-State TollwayTri-State TollwayThe Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
(I-94/I-294)
The Tri-State Tollway is the most traveled Tollway in the Tollway System, accounting for approximately 44% of the volume.
Except for the vicinity of O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
, none enter the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The Chicago Skyway
Chicago Skyway
The Chicago Skyway, also known as Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge System, is a toll road in Chicago, Illinois, United States, carrying Interstate 90 from the Indiana Toll Road to the Dan Ryan Expressway on Chicago's South Side leading into the Chicago Loop....
, which is owned by the City of Chicago but on a 99 year lease to the Skyway Concession Company, is the only toll road in Illinois that is not operated by ISTHA.
Toll rates
ISTHA sets its tolls at a level necessary to maintain and operate the system while retiring its bond debt, and it is required to conduct public hearings on any proposed toll increase. In 1958, the tolls were set at 25 cents at the main plazas and 10 cents at the exit ramps. The first major adjustment generally increased toll rates in 1963, the second generally decreased toll rates in 1970. In 1983, the tolls increased to 40 cents at the main plazas and 15 cents at most ramps. With the advent of the IPass system in 2005, the tolls for cash payments were doubled. In addition, congestion pricingCongestion pricing
Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of a transport network in periods of peak demand to reduce traffic congestion. Examples include some toll-like road pricing fees, and higher peak charges for utilities, public transport and slots in canals and airports...
is used to charge trucks a rate which is $0.50 or $1.00 higher during rush hour than during off-peak hours.
Toll collection
Users pay tolls at designated plaza either by driving under a transponder antenna or by driving through a toll gate and paying cash. The cash price is twice the transponder price. Lesser tolls are also collected on entrance and exit ramps that are near the main toll plazas so that the average toll is about 2.6 cents per mile (1.6 cents per kilometer) for passenger vehicles with I-Pass. Trucks and commercial vehicles pay a higher toll, with a discount for travel during non-peak hours. The current rate structure is projected to generate $850 million in annual revenue by 2012.
The Illinois Tollway is one of the toll highway within the United States that accept pennies for toll payment in automatic toll lanes. The reason commonly given for this is that Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
appears on the obverse of the US 1 cent piece, the penny, and Illinois is known as the "Land of Lincoln." Until the mid 1970s, the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (then the Northwest Tollway) used a ticket system on the segment between Elgin and Beloit to collect tolls based upon the exact mileage traveled. Drivers were handed a Hollerith card when they entered the segment and paid a toll when they left.
I-Pass is the Illinois Tollway’s electronic transponder toll collection system that allows drivers to pre-pay their tolls. , Tollway drivers use 3.3 million I-Pass transponders. Every toll lane on the system is equipped to accept I-Pass which can also be used on the Chicago Skyway and anywhere E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
is accepted. (E-ZPass is a transponder consortium of toll road authorities on the East Coast.)
A refundable deposit of $10 and $40 in pre-paid tolls is charged at the time of purchase. Illinois Tollway offers an auto-pay replenishment option by registering a credit or debit card to an I-Pass account at the time of activation. Each month, the minimum balance and replenishment amounts are recalculated based on the average usage during the previous six months. A special program for low-income motorists allows them to obtain I-Pass units with a reduced outlay of $20.
Users choosing to replenish their account without auto-pay are responsible for monitoring their transactions and balance and must pay a $20 refundable deposit. There are various options for self-pay replenishment, including the Tollway Service Centers located at five oasis rest stops
Illinois Tollway oasis
An Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of commercialized rest area sited along interstate highways that are toll roads in Illinois, United States. The seven oases offer food and gasoline vendors and are found in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, DeKalb, and Belvidere...
. Customers wishing to pay by check or cash can pay at the oasis customer service centers or can buy $20 I-Pass Gift Cards at Jewel-Osco.
The Illinois Tollway has implemented open road tolling
Open road tolling
Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow...
, allowing any vehicle with an I-PASS compatible transponder (including I-Zoom
I-Zoom
i-Zoom is the electronic toll collection system currently used by the Indiana Toll Road , and is also usable on the ITR's adjacent sister road, the Chicago Skyway. On June 27, 2007, the system was implemented from mile 1 to mile 23 of the road. After a lengthy delay, the remaining toll plazas came...
and E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
users) to continue through the toll plaza at highway speeds while those paying cash have to stop at a tollbooth. If a vehicle registered with I-Pass passes through a toll collection without the transponder, the toll amount will be automatically deducted from the respective I-Pass account. This process is called "V-Tolls" (Video Tolls). V-Tolls in excess of 10 per month result in penalties.
In 2004, the Illinois Auditor General criticized the I-Pass system, because the system failed to check whether the transponder used correlated with the class of vehicle detected at a tolling point. As a result, large trucks may have been paying the lower tolls for passenger cars. The audit reports also found that ISTHA did not send out violation notices for all detected violations and did not properly follow up when drivers did not respond to the notices that were sent.
Criticism
The ISTHA and the Toll Highway System in Illinois have undergone much criticism since the 1980s. Construction of the North–South Tollway (I-355) was delayed, in part, due to a dispute with the Morton ArboretumMorton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. The Arboretum has over 4,100 different species of...
in Lisle
Lisle, Illinois
Lisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
, Illinois. Original plans for this toll highway would have seen it constructed through the middle of land belonging to the Arboretum, and closer to the existing Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53 is an arterial north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. Route 53 runs south from Long Grove at Illinois Route 83 to Gardner at Interstate 55 west of old U.S. Highway 66, a distance of...
. Construction on other projects has also been delayed, mostly through protests by area residents.
The ISTHA located its headquarters near the intersection of Interstates 88 and 355, in Downers Grove
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
, Illinois in a helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
-equipped facility derisively nicknamed by press and politicians as the "Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
". Visitors to the building are greeted by marble flooring and other niceties.
Further criticism in the 1980s and 1990s has centered on the continued existence of the ISTHA itself, and its quasi-independent status from even the Illinois General Assembly. The original decision to build the tollway was made in an era when five states used toll roads to create a superhighway between New York and Chicago. This predated the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
and the associated funding from federal gasoline taxes. Critics argue that Tollway users are paying twice, first by paying tolls and then by paying the same gasoline taxes that other motorists pay. Citizens' groups formed in the 1990s to try to force the ISTHA to disband, and convert the toll highways in Illinois into freeways. This stems from the 1953 law that established the then Illinois State Toll Highway Commission. By 1999, Governor George Ryan
George Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
began to publicly discuss the closure of the ISTHA and the abolition of toll collection in Illinois, but the plans were eclipsed by Ryan's increasing scandals. After Ryan declined to run for re-election and his successor, Governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, had been elected (but had not yet taken office), the ISTHA board publicly suggested a sudden hike in toll rates that the new Governor could simply blame on his outgoing predecessor. The previous adjustment to Illinois toll rates had taken place in 1983. The ISTHA would have been able to raise rates without approval of the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
because of its quasi-independent nature. However, a rate hike did not go into effect at that time. Ultimately, the toll rates for I-Pass users remained at 1983 prices while the toll rate for cash payers doubled. Practically, the I-Pass system and open road tolling
Open road tolling
Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow...
appears to have removed the annoying aspect of toll collection which motivated many toll opponents, and subsequently the calls to ending the tolls have quieted.
One aspect of the argument is that by having a single toll road system for the state that controls the major commuter routes into Chicago and the major circumferential route around the city, commuters and long-haul truckers who use the original system that was built in 1958 are subsidizing the subsequent routes, I-88
Interstate 88 (west)
Interstate 88 is an intrastate Interstate Highway in the state of Illinois. It runs from an interchange with Interstate 80 near Silvis and Moline to an interchange with Interstates 290 and 294 in Hillside, near Chicago...
to Dixon, Illinois
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
and I-355 in DuPage County, Illinois
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
. As a result, instead of the original routes becoming freeway, the revenues from the original system subsidized less intensively used routes that could not be financed on a stand-alone basis.
Other criticism has involved the use of the I-Pass
I-Pass
I-PASS is the electronic toll collection system used by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority on its toll highways. It uses the same transponder as the E-ZPass system used in the Northeastern US, and the Indiana Toll Road's i-Zoom program....
transponder system. First, some of this criticism has come from privacy advocates, who decry the use of tracking transponders. In response, ISTHA is upgrading the security of its data networks. Second, other I-Pass related criticism came in late 2004, when higher tolls were proposed for drivers who do not use the I-Pass system. Tolls were doubled for non-I-Pass users as of January 1, 2005. Third, controversy surrounded the reciprocal use of I-Pass by Illinois motorists and I-Zoom
I-Zoom
i-Zoom is the electronic toll collection system currently used by the Indiana Toll Road , and is also usable on the ITR's adjacent sister road, the Chicago Skyway. On June 27, 2007, the system was implemented from mile 1 to mile 23 of the road. After a lengthy delay, the remaining toll plazas came...
by Indiana motorists on the other state's toll road. Each state charges the other a transaction fee when the out-of-state transponder is used to pay a toll. Until January 1, 2010, the fee was absorbed, with I-Pass users paying twice as many Indiana tolls and I-Zoom users paying Illinois tolls. To address this imbalance, ISTHA began charging I-Pass users a 3 cent surcharge on each of their Indiana tolls, effective January 1, 2010.
Tolls were also raised on that date for drivers of larger vehicles. Under the congestion relief strategy, creating financial incentives for commercial and interstate truckers to use the tollways at non-peak travel times would reduce delays for daily commuters. Tractor-trailer drivers now have to pay increased rates during peak travel times (generally daytime hours during weekdays), but may pay decreased rates during non-peak travel times (though these rates are still an increase over those that were in effect until January 1, 2005). Some truck drivers had threatened court action or boycotts of the toll highway system.
The Sierra Club criticized the capital projects as adding to urban sprawl while hurting air quality. In response, the expense of the Open Road Tolling Program
Open road tolling
Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow...
has justified by claiming it significantly decreases the amount of pollution from vehicle exhaust that enters the air. This is because the old barrier style tollbooths adds to the amount of time that certain vehicles spend on the roadway by requiring them to slow down, stop, and sometimes idle for several minutes while waiting to pay their tolls. The introduction of the I-Pass system has greatly alleviated this problem since all vehicles with an I-Pass or E-Zpass can continue to travel at normal highway speeds through the toll plazas.
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
with Wilton Partners to renovate the oasis rest stops
Illinois Tollway oasis
An Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of commercialized rest area sited along interstate highways that are toll roads in Illinois, United States. The seven oases offer food and gasoline vendors and are found in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, DeKalb, and Belvidere...
in exchange for a 25 year lease. That lease has been the subject of various investigations, including the political connections between food vendors in the oases with former Governor Blagojevich. Ultimately, Wilton Partners' lender foreclosed on the Oases.
The ISTHA experienced high leadership turnover amid controversy. On November 19, 2008, Jeffrey Dailey began serving as Executive Director of ISTHA. On December 9, 2008, Governor Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges including allegations that he solicited campaign donations from Tollway construction contractors. On December 18, Dalley resigned claiming that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan
Lisa Madigan has been the 41st Attorney General of the US state of Illinois since 2003, when she became the first female attorney general for Illinois...
would not grant waivers from the state ethics law that prohibited high level ISTHA executives from being employed by contractors within a year of leaving office. In January 2009, Governor Blagojevich was impeached, tried, and removed from office for abuse of power, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor (United States)
In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated...
Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...
. Following this, the ISTHA Board appointed a new chief executive without consulting Quinn. On August 12, 2009, John Mitola, who was appointed the ISTHA Board Chairman in 2003 by Governor Blagojevich, resigned for personal reasons. The next day, Governor Quinn appointed a new chairman and two new board members. Ex-ISTHA Chairman Mitola was reported to have failed to disclose an investment in a real estate development with former state purchasing and contracting CEO Michael Rumman under ousted Governor Blagojevich. In addition, a number of top ISTHA staff members have left in 2009.
Construction projects
| Project | Budget |
|---|---|
| Tri-State Tollway Tri-State Tollway The Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country... |
$2,293,800,000 |
| Jane Addams Memorial Tollway | $772,700,000 |
| Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway | $1,077,800,000 |
| Veterans Memorial Tollway | $823,500,000 |
| Open road tolling Open road tolling Open road tolling or free-flow tolling is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major advantage to ORT is that users are able to drive through the toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow... |
$729,300,000 |
| System wide improvements/interchanges | $688,900,000 |
| Total | $6,386,000,000 |
| Includes $115 million of reimbursed expenses | |
The congestion relief program involves separate construction projects scheduled each year beginning with 2005. In addition to the I-355 extension project begun in 2005, these projects continue. To speed traffic flow, the 20 main toll plazas were rebuilt to allow vehicles with transponders to drive straight at normal speeds, while new plazas were built to the side for vehicles without transponders. Each year, selected portions of the road received additional lanes and wider lanes and rebuild and restore most of the system. An interchange between I-57 and the Tri-State Tollway
Tri-State Tollway
The Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
is also planned near Harvey, Illinois
Harvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 30,000 at the 2000 census.Harvey is bordered by Dixmoor, Riverdale and Blue Island to the north, Posen and Markham to the west, South Holland, Phoenix, and Dolton to the east, and East Hazel Crest to the...
. Construction improvements slated for 2010 in the budget include resurfacing and rehabbing the Edens Expressway Spur, resurfacing on I-355 from I-88 to Army Trail Road and resurfacing the I-90-Kennedy Expressway from the Tri-State to the Elgin Toll Plaza.
The program also included rebuilding the Cherry Valley interchange between I-90 and I-39 on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The new $89 million interchange was completed on November 13, 2009. The multi-year congestion relief program is expected to cost $6.1 billion, down from an original estimate of $6.3 billion.
Green Lanes
As a follow-on to the congestion relief program, the ISTHA adopted a "Green Lanes" program at its November 20, 2008, meeting. The program would establish special lanes on each tollway that would be reserved for high occupancy vehicles or vehicles willing to pay premium tolls that reflect congestion pricingCongestion pricing
Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of a transport network in periods of peak demand to reduce traffic congestion. Examples include some toll-like road pricing fees, and higher peak charges for utilities, public transport and slots in canals and airports...
. The plan is expected to cost $400 million to implement between 2010 and 2015. The extra revenues from the green lane tolls would pay for $1.4 billion in bonds that would not only finance the green lanes but would also fund the I-57 interchange with the Tri-State Tollway
Tri-State Tollway
The Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
and a redesign of the interchange between I-290
Interstate 290 (Illinois)
Interstate 290 is a main Interstate freeway that runs westwards from the Chicago Loop. A portion of I-290 is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway. In short form, it is known as "the Ike" or the Eisenhower...
and the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. According to the criminal complaint filed by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
, Governor Blagojevich, prior to announcing the Green Lanes plan, instructed a lobbyist to solicit a $500,000 campaign contribution from a Tollway construction contractor. Following Governor Blagojevich's impeachment, the ISTHA replaced the green lanes program with a $1.8 billion "Congestion Relief Program II."