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Open Road Tolling is a key component of Blagojevich's $5.3 billion
Congestion-Relief Program. With the additional Open Road Tolling
lanes launched at the Waukegan Toll Plaza, now all 20 mainline toll
plazas allow drivers with I-PASS to travel through tollbooths
without stopping or slowing down. The $327 million Open Road Tolling
construction project began in the spring of 2005, and most drivers
are already reporting average time savings of 10 minutes each way.
The availability of nonstop tolling lanes throughout the system
makes Illinois the first state whose entire mainline toll system has
been converted to Open Road Tolling in such a short time. "We've
completed the conversion of our entire tollway system to Open Road
Tolling in just two years, as promised, and we're the only state in
the nation to do that," Blagojevich said. "The idea behind Open Road
Tolling was to help people get where they're going faster, and it's
working. There's less congestion around the toll plazas. And, with
fewer cars waiting to go through tollbooths, emissions are down, so
the air is cleaner. Open Road Tolling has made a real difference in
people's lives, and that's what government is all about."
John Mitola, chairman of the tollway board, told event attendees
gathered on the Wadsworth Road Bridge, just south of the Waukegan
Toll Plaza, that successful completion of Open Road Tolling lanes
throughout the system is the direct result of the tollway staff,
engineers and contractors working together toward a collective goal
-- improving service to customers.
"I am proud of the fact that the Illinois Tollway stepped up and
honored its commitment to Governor Blagojevich and Illinois to bring
the congestion relief benefits of Open Road Tolling as quickly as
humanly possible," Mitola said. "I'd like to thank everyone for
their ongoing work to minimize the impact of construction on
drivers. And I want to assure tollway drivers that we will stay
vigilant to keep traffic flowing while work continues in the cash
lanes at some plazas and on rebuilding other segments of the system
for additional congestion relief."
Open Road Tolling arrives in the Waukegan area
The debut of Open Road Tolling in the stateline area not only
reduces travel times on this busy route used by commuters and
vacationers into and out of the city, but also completes the
conversion to nonstop tolling on the entire Tri-State Tollway --
interstates 94, 294 and 80-294 -- which is used by commercial truck
traffic traveling in and through the state.
The Waukegan Toll Plaza is being reconstructed at its existing
location to accommodate Open Road Tolling, improve safety and ease
traffic flow. Three Open Road Tolling lanes are now available in
each direction at the plaza. Construction continues on the cash
plaza, where there are four tollbooth lanes northbound and four
tollbooth lanes southbound. When work is completed on the cash side,
there will be four tollbooth lanes northbound and five tollbooth
lanes southbound.
In addition, the Wadsworth Road Bridge, just south of the plaza,
is closed to traffic for work to replace and lengthen the bridge to
accommodate Open Road Tolling. The bridge is scheduled to be closed
until later this fall.
How Open Road Tolling works
The conversion of the tollway's traditional toll plazas to a
barrier-free system allows I-PASS users to travel at highway speeds
while their tolls are collected electronically by a monotube
overhead, reducing congestion and travel times. Vehicles without
I-PASS or that need to exit shortly after the plaza pull to the
right into smaller, traditional toll plazas, where they can pay cash
to toll collectors or use I-PASS and not affect the free flow of
traffic on the mainline. Separating I-PASS traffic from vehicles
paying cash also improves safety at toll plazas.
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 Get I-PASS
Drivers who want to take advantage of the time savings provided
by Open Road Tolling need to buy an I-PASS, which they can do online
at www.getipass.com; at Jewel-Oscos
throughout Chicagoland; or by calling 1-800-UC-IPASS. For those who
don't have I-PASS, the $50 investment is worthwhile even if they
travel the tollway only occasionally, because the I-PASS prepaid
balance never expires and it gives them a 50 percent discount on
tolls.
RVs, trailers can use Open Road Tolling lanes
I-PASS users traveling in an RV or towing a boat, camper or
trailer can also use the new Open Road Tolling lanes so they do not
need to wait in manual cash lanes at these plazas. The new lanes
automatically calculate and deduct the proper toll. I-PASS users
should have their accounts updated to include the license plates of
their trailers and RVs as well as their cars.
Congestion-Relief Program
The construction to convert barrier toll plazas to the new Open
Road Tolling technology began last year and is being done at a
record pace. With the addition of Meyers Road, York Road and Elgin
Road toll plazas, Open Road Tolling lanes are now available at 20
plazas: Waukegan and Edens Spur on I-94; Boughton Road and Army
Trail Road on I-355; Aurora, DeKalb, Dixon and Meyers/York Road on
I-88; South Beloit, Belvidere, Elgin, Marengo, Devon Road and River
Road on I-90; and Irving Park Road, Cermak Road, Touhy Avenue, 82nd
Street, 83rd Street and 163rd Street on I-294.
Open Road Tolling is an important part of Blagojevich's $5.3
billion Congestion-Relief Program, "Open Roads for a Faster Future,"
which will reduce travel times by also restoring most of the system,
adding lanes to many miles of existing roads and building the I-355
South Extension into Will County.
Getting tollway construction info
The Illinois Tollway offers a variety of ways for drivers to get
the latest information on construction and traffic.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway maintains and operates 274 miles of
interstate tollways in 12 counties in northern Illinois, including
the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, I-88; the North-South Tollway,
I-355; the Northwest Tollway, I-90; and the Tri-State Tollway: I-94,
I-294 and I-80-294. In 2005, the Illinois Tollway kicked off its
$5.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program, which will reduce travel
times by restoring most of the system, adding lanes to many miles of
existing roads, converting 20 mainline toll plazas to barrier-free
Open Road Tolling and extending I-355 south to I-80 in Will County.
Tollway customers can save time and money with I-PASS electronic
toll collection -- "Get I-PASS & Get Going!"
[News release from the governor's
office] |
