ILLINOIS TOLLWAY CHIEF POINTS TO MODERNIZATION NOT DE-TOLLING

Thomas Cuculich has installed last fall as head of the Illinois Tollway to hold the line on tolls and to explore ways of making the tollways free. Cuculich's report, while not formally making recommendations, points up very high costs in the no-tolls option and big advantages with express electronic tolling. The superficial appeal of ending tolls is ending the queues at the toll points. However, the Illinois system has considerable congestion that is unrelated to the toll lanes. Abolition of tolls would produce an immediate one-third increase in traffic volume and a doubling of the miles of the tollway that are congested. Moreover, the legislature would have to pay off some $854 million of bonds, find some $250 million per year for upkeep, and lose a stream of revenue against which to borrow for reconstruction and expansion of the system. Removing the toll lanes and reconstructing the system as a free road would take an estimated 3 years and $320 million in demolition and rebuild costs with considerable disruption to traffic in the meantime. For just a little more money--$354 million--the tollway could get express electronic toll lanes at all 20 of its mainline toll plazas. The report looks at a total of 22 options including a variety of simplifications of the toll system by eliminating toll points.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/19598638
• Corporate Authors:

  Public Works Financing

  147 Elmer Street
  Westfield, NJ  United States  07090-2433
• Authors:
  • Samuel, P
• Publication Date: 2000-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 33-34
• Serial:
  • Public Works Financing
  • Volume: 139
  • Publisher: Public Works Financing
  • ISSN: 1068-0748

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automated toll collection; Costs; Demolition; Reconstruction; Toll roads; Tolls; Traffic congestion; Traffic volume
• Geographic Terms: Illinois
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Finance; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00792349
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 15 2000 12:00AM