Illinois Raising Tolls by almost 88%

Driving in Illinois is about to take a much bigger toll on motorists' wallets.

Tolls will shoot up an average of 88% next year to finance a $12 billion toll road expansion and renovation plan, the Illinois Toll Highway Authority decided Thursday.

For drivers who have an I-PASS, an electronic device that allows them to pay tolls automatically, it's the first toll increase in 28 years, the toll road authority said.

But for the occasional toll road user who pays in cash - including many Wisconsin drivers who don't have an I-PASS - it's going to be the second massive increase in seven years, with a third coming up three years later.

In 2005, tolls doubled for anyone without an I-PASS. Those drivers will face increases in both 2012 and 2015, while those with an I-PASS will see only a 2012 increase.

At mainline toll plazas, the ones that all drivers must pass through, the average toll will rise 35 cents, from 40 cents to 75 cents for an automobile equipped with an I-PASS on Jan. 1, the toll road authority said. Trucks pay more, depending on their size and the time of day; their rates will hold steady next year but rise in 2015.

Individual tolls vary from one plaza to another, however, and rates are above average at several of those closest to the Wisconsin border.

At the Waukegan Plaza on I-94, the I-PASS rate will jump from 75 cents to $1.40 next year. The cash rate will increase from $1.50 to $1.90 in 2012 and $2.65 in 2015. - JSOnline