Illinois Tollway Notes

[SSOWorld]

The Tollway will begin phasing out the coin baskets at the exit ramps for new machines that will accept credit cards and bills.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170223/news/170229424/

What the heck took them so long with this? This should have been done the same time they converted the mainline plazas to Open Road Tolling.

Good idea it's so annoying to have to carry so much change for the exit ramps now I won't have to anymore.

Of course, you could always get an I-Pass and make it easier and cheaper.

without a doubt.  I ended up fumbling about when using a credit card to pay a toll on the Kansas Turnpike - If only the I(EZ)-Pass was compatible with K-Tag.

[Joe The Dragon]

The Tollway will begin phasing out the coin baskets at the exit ramps for new machines that will accept credit cards and bills.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170223/news/170229424/

What the heck took them so long with this? This should have been done the same time they converted the mainline plazas to Open Road Tolling.

Will they move more ramps to I-pass only when they do this?

[cwm1276]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

[Great Lakes Roads]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

FINALLY! They BADLY needed to raise the speed limit as most of the people are doing 75-80 mph... 

[cwm1276]

80 was a comfortable speed, other than the slower traffic really needs to keep right.  Running into someone doing 65 in the middle lane started causing traffic all trying to get around.

The grooves in the road and my tires just don't play well, the northbound center lane and the tire grooves get together and the car starts wiggling according to the pavement grooves.

[JREwing78]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

Much needed and overdue. This is the highest-quality Interstate highway in the state; throttling it down to a lower speed than lower-quality stretches was illogical.

[Joe The Dragon]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

now make it from I-294 to Elgin at least 60-65.

[ET21]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

now make it from I-294 to Elgin at least 60-65.

That should be 70 too. Honestly anything west of I-294 should be up to 70 and east should be 60 or 65.

Or just make it all 70, who cares... Everyone drives 70 everywhere in the area on the highways

[quickshade]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

now make it from I-294 to Elgin at least 60-65.

That should be 70 too. Honestly anything west of I-294 should be up to 70 and east should be 60 or 65.

Or just make it all 70, who cares... Everyone drives 70 everywhere in the area on the highways

Obviously that's the plan, but all major construction has to be finished up and they have to evaluate traffic with the new lanes and exits before they can do that. Expect them to increase it next summer (2018) or spring 2019.

[hobsini2]

The Tollway will begin phasing out the coin baskets at the exit ramps for new machines that will accept credit cards and bills.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170223/news/170229424/

What the heck took them so long with this? This should have been done the same time they converted the mainline plazas to Open Road Tolling.

Well it is a lot quicker and easier to throw coins in a basket instead of trying to insert a bill like a vending machine. It also takes a few seconds longer. That probably has something to do with it.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

LONG overdue and very welcome. Just in time too, as I plan to navigate the O'Hare to Rockford stretch this spring when we take a getaway trip to Dubuque, Iowa.

[dvferyance]

The Tollway will begin phasing out the coin baskets at the exit ramps for new machines that will accept credit cards and bills.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170223/news/170229424/

What the heck took them so long with this? This should have been done the same time they converted the mainline plazas to Open Road Tolling.

Good idea it's so annoying to have to carry so much change for the exit ramps now I won't have to anymore.

Of course, you could always get an I-Pass and make it easier and cheaper.

I probably would have if my brother hadn't moved back up here some years ago. Ever sine I don't travel to Illinois nearly as much as I used to.

[GeekJedi]

The Tollway will begin phasing out the coin baskets at the exit ramps for new machines that will accept credit cards and bills.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170223/news/170229424/

What the heck took them so long with this? This should have been done the same time they converted the mainline plazas to Open Road Tolling.

Good idea it's so annoying to have to carry so much change for the exit ramps now I won't have to anymore.

Of course, you could always get an I-Pass and make it easier and cheaper.

I probably would have if my brother hadn't moved back up here some years ago. Ever sine I don't travel to Illinois nearly as much as I used to.

Even if you go infrequently (like I do) it's still a good deal. You don't get charged a fee to have one, and the money (I think the refill amount can be as low as $20) will sit there indefinitely until you use it. Beats having to stop at a booth and pay a 100% markup.

[dvferyance]

I was thinking will these new machines also be installed on mainline plazas too one day.

[Brandon]

I was thinking will these new machines also be installed on mainline plazas too one day.

Why?  Would simply be better to go all AET with 87% of tollway users using I-Pass or EZ Pass.

[dave069]

I was on 90 yesterday, and the 70 mile an hour speed limits signs were going up between Elgin and Rockford.

Dope! About time that stretch became 70 mph. Has the south end of I-355 been bumped up to 70 as well? I know the Tollway wanted to have that happen as well.

[ET21]

I was thinking will these new machines also be installed on mainline plazas too one day.

Why?  Would simply be better to go all AET with 87% of tollway users using I-Pass or EZ Pass.

Technically all the mainline cash lanes are equipped with I-Pass sensors your just forced to stop at the cash lanes. I've only done that if I'm too late to merge or forced into the cash lanes only via on-ramp

[dvferyance]

I was thinking will these new machines also be installed on mainline plazas too one day.

Why?  Would simply be better to go all AET with 87% of tollway users using I-Pass or EZ Pass.

So they don't have to pay employees to collect cash. The Indiana toll road does this.

[SEWIGuy]

I was thinking will these new machines also be installed on mainline plazas too one day.

Why?  Would simply be better to go all AET with 87% of tollway users using I-Pass or EZ Pass.

So they don't have to pay employees to collect cash. The Indiana toll road does this.

Don't have to pay employees to collect cash...don't have to transport the cash to a bank...don't have to account for the cash...don't have to worry about theft...

[ET21]

Next phase of the Farnsworth Interchange begins this month. Traffic uses the new bridge, final old one gets torn down

[johndoe780]

New contracts going out for bid

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/38197ffa-3901-4f27-8207-65ea29988afc

looks like they updated their website for 2017 construction. Appears as though they're rebuilding the bridges on 90 in Rockford.

[tribar]

New contracts going out for bid

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/38197ffa-3901-4f27-8207-65ea29988afc

looks like they updated their website for 2017 construction. Appears as though they're rebuilding the bridges on 90 in Rockford.

Seems like something they should have done when they rebuilt that stretch ~10 years ago.

[johndoe780]

New contracts going out for bid

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/38197ffa-3901-4f27-8207-65ea29988afc

looks like they updated their website for 2017 construction. Appears as though they're rebuilding the bridges on 90 in Rockford.

Seems like something they should have done when they rebuilt that stretch ~10 years ago.

Lack of $$$? Tollway didn't raise tolls until 2012.

Money from the 2000s' 294 widening, that segment of 90, and 88 widening were from the doubling of cash tolls if I recall.

[ET21]

New contracts going out for bid

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/38197ffa-3901-4f27-8207-65ea29988afc

looks like they updated their website for 2017 construction. Appears as though they're rebuilding the bridges on 90 in Rockford.

Are they actually going to make IL-47 a full interchange or is that just repairs to the current alignment?

[JREwing78]

New contracts going out for bid

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/38197ffa-3901-4f27-8207-65ea29988afc

looks like they updated their website for 2017 construction. Appears as though they're rebuilding the bridges on 90 in Rockford.

Seems like something they should have done when they rebuilt that stretch ~10 years ago.

I suspect the work in 2008 and 2009 was envisioned as a shorter-term project. They poured asphalt instead of concrete for the driving surface, and overlaid the original 1950's roadbed for the outside lanes. They also didn't replace overpasses along that stretch (aside from the I-39/US-20 interchange).

ISTHA understood that it needed to deliver congestion relief to the I-39/90 stretch in Winnebago County before it completed work farther east. That road was one miserable son-of-a-bitch before the widening and the Open Road Tolling were implemented. The previous I-39/US-20 interchange was not going to handle the additional influx of truck traffic avoiding the sections of I-90 east to Chicago, opting to use I-88 or I-80 instead. And, frankly, they needed that stretch to move more traffic to help generate toll revenue to finance the rest of the work.

Note also that they completed the I-355 stretch south to I-80 before starting on I-90 between Rockford and I-294, again laying a foundation for a relief route via I-88 to keep traffic off the sections of I-90 under construction.

Now that they've completed the majority of the Rockford to I-294 work, they can prep the Winnebago County stretch for more permanent widening work. My speculation is that within the next 10-20 years, ISTHA will come back and widen the Winnebago County stretch to 8 lanes, either in its entirety or in part (say, widen north from I-39/US-20 to Riverside, then down to 6 lanes northward). It'll also likely get the same improvements we see on I-90 east of Rockford - including the median lighting.