Illinois Tollway Notes

[Brandon]

anyone know if the IL tollway will stay ETC ONLY after covid is over?

My guess is yes. They changed all of the toll related signs on I-88 EB from Aurora to the Tri-State indicating I-Pass or Pay Online.

Likewise on I-355.

Is that at the ramp plazas or the mainline too? Do they just have the cash lanes completely blocked off?

The cash lanes are closed.  Only the I-Pass Only lanes are open for the exits attached to the toll plaza areas.

In fact, just today on my commute home, I saw this from the Tollway on the VMSs:
"NO CASH COLLECTION
PAY ONLINE REQUIRED
ILLINOISTOLLWAY.COM"

[Highway63]

I did not know that the tollways weren't taking cash anymore. I am firmly against it, as it screws over non-local travelers. (But then, I am generally against tollways as a concept.) Good to know for the next time I go to the area.

[ilpt4u]

I did not know that the tollways weren't taking cash anymore. I am firmly against it, as it screws over non-local travelers. (But then, I am generally against tollways as a concept.) Good to know for the next time I go to the area.

Tolls can be paid at the Tollway's website, quite easily, within 2 weeks of travel

I would assume ISTHA's 1-800-UC-I-Pass hotline would also quote you a bill and provide an address to mail a check and/or take a credit card payment over the phone, but I have never tried that. I'm guessing the Customer Service Desk at the Downers Grove ISTHA HQ probably isn't open to walk in and pay tolls, but it might be

What screws over non-local travelers is the higher tolls for not having I-Pass/EZ-Pass, not so much Cash vs Cashless

Mailing address from getipass.com:

Cash Customers
Cash customers may also pay by check or money order payable to the Illinois Tollway. Please write your license plate number and date(s) of travel in the memo field of your check.

Mail to: Illinois Tollway - P.O. Box 5544 - Chicago, IL 60680-5544

https://www.illinoistollway.com/unpaid-tolls

[edwaleni]

I did not know that the tollways weren't taking cash anymore. I am firmly against it, as it screws over non-local travelers. (But then, I am generally against tollways as a concept.) Good to know for the next time I go to the area.

Tolls can be paid at the Tollway's website, quite easily, within 2 weeks of travel

I would assume ISTHA's 1-800-UC-I-Pass hotline would also quote you a bill and provide an address to mail a check and/or take a credit card payment over the phone, but I have never tried that. I'm guessing the Customer Service Desk at the Downers Grove ISTHA HQ probably isn't open to walk in and pay tolls, but it might be

What screws over non-local travelers is the higher tolls for not having I-Pass/EZ-Pass, not so much Cash vs Cashless

Mailing address from getipass.com:

Cash Customers
Cash customers may also pay by check or money order payable to the Illinois Tollway. Please write your license plate number and date(s) of travel in the memo field of your check.

Mail to: Illinois Tollway - P.O. Box 5544 - Chicago, IL 60680-5544

https://www.illinoistollway.com/unpaid-tolls

I just got a letter from Florida. Pretty easy to pay online. It was a single booth and to shunpike it would have taken another 20 minutes and a lot of redirects, so in that case it was worth it.

I do wish you could buy a 1 week or weekend pass with the bar code to put in your windshield. Then the cameras or sensors will detect it, check the plate image and your are good to go.

That certainly beats the toll by plate processing charges and allows toll roads to collect out of state cash much easier.

[kphoger]

What screws over non-local travelers is the higher tolls for not having I-Pass/EZ-Pass, not so much Cash vs Cashless

Of course, there's expecting out-of-area travelers to actually know how to pay their tolls, too.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I know it's lazy, but I don't want to carve out extra time to pay tolls online later (or go "oh, I need to do that" at a moment I can't immediately do so or do not want to, so I inevitably forget until the next time I remember I need to pay my toll, again at a time I can't immediately stop what I'm doing to do so), dig out my card, calculate what booths I went through, punch in my card, plus I don't like owing people.

[kphoger]

I know it's lazy, but I don't want to carve out extra time to pay tolls online later (or go "oh, I need to do that" at a moment I can't immediately do so or do not want to, so I inevitably forget until the next time I remember I need to pay my toll, again at a time I can't immediately stop what I'm doing to do so), dig out my card, calculate what booths I went through, punch in my card, plus I don't like owing people.

...and that's assuming you know (1) that you're supposed to do all that and (2) how to do so.

[jwags]

I know it's lazy, but I don't want to carve out extra time to pay tolls online later (or go "oh, I need to do that" at a moment I can't immediately do so or do not want to, so I inevitably forget until the next time I remember I need to pay my toll, again at a time I can't immediately stop what I'm doing to do so), dig out my card, calculate what booths I went through, punch in my card, plus I don't like owing people.

They changed it so you create an account once with your license plate and they'll just charge your card each time you go thru. No more calculating. You still don't get the 50% discount unless you use iPass/EZPass though.

[kphoger]

I know it's lazy, but I don't want to carve out extra time to pay tolls online later (or go "oh, I need to do that" at a moment I can't immediately do so or do not want to, so I inevitably forget until the next time I remember I need to pay my toll, again at a time I can't immediately stop what I'm doing to do so), dig out my card, calculate what booths I went through, punch in my card, plus I don't like owing people.

They changed it so you create an account once with your license plate and they'll just charge your card each time you go thru. No more calculating. You still don't get the 50% discount unless you use iPass/EZPass though.

Meaning you still have to go online or call someone and set up that account?

[jwags]

I know it's lazy, but I don't want to carve out extra time to pay tolls online later (or go "oh, I need to do that" at a moment I can't immediately do so or do not want to, so I inevitably forget until the next time I remember I need to pay my toll, again at a time I can't immediately stop what I'm doing to do so), dig out my card, calculate what booths I went through, punch in my card, plus I don't like owing people.

They changed it so you create an account once with your license plate and they'll just charge your card each time you go thru. No more calculating. You still don't get the 50% discount unless you use iPass/EZPass though.

Meaning you still have to go online or call someone and set up that account?

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll. They'd be better off just doing something like NY or FL that just mails a bill with a small fee per bill to cover mailing cost. But this is Illinois, it's not supposed to be convenient or make sense.

[kphoger]

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll.

Which is all well and good if you're the owner of the vehicle.  But what if you're driving a company fleet vehicle with no toll pass?  That would be no problem at all if you could pay cash or credit at an actual toll booth.  But, instead, you have to jump through hoops to pay that toll, or else your central office will get a bill for your "toll violation", including surcharge.

And another question:  if you set up an "account" to pay a "missed" toll, then do you later still have the option to pay cash at locations that do have toll booths?  Or will you be double-dipped if you do that?  Because–following along in my fleet driver situation–another driver eight months later at another location within the same system might want to pay cash because that's what corporate expects him to do.

[ET21]

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll.

Which is all well and good if you're the owner of the vehicle.  But what if you're driving a company fleet vehicle with no toll pass?  That would be no problem at all if you could pay cash or credit at an actual toll booth.  But, instead, you have to jump through hoops to pay that toll, or else your central office will get a bill for your "toll violation", including surcharge.

And another question:  if you set up an "account" to pay a "missed" toll, then do you later still have the option to pay cash at locations that do have toll booths?  Or will you be double-dipped if you do that?  Because–following along in my fleet driver situation–another driver eight months later at another location within the same system might want to pay cash because that's what corporate expects him to do.

Welcome to Illinois, enjoy your costly stay

[JoePCool14]

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll.

Which is all well and good if you're the owner of the vehicle.  But what if you're driving a company fleet vehicle with no toll pass?  That would be no problem at all if you could pay cash or credit at an actual toll booth.  But, instead, you have to jump through hoops to pay that toll, or else your central office will get a bill for your "toll violation", including surcharge.

And another question:  if you set up an "account" to pay a "missed" toll, then do you later still have the option to pay cash at locations that do have toll booths?  Or will you be double-dipped if you do that?  Because—following along in my fleet driver situation—another driver eight months later at another location within the same system might want to pay cash because that's what corporate expects him to do.

Welcome $$$ to $$$ Illinois $$$, enjoy your $$$ costly $$$ stay $$$$$.

FTFY. 

As for my thoughts on the Tollway going all electronic, I think that's pretty likely at this point. The plaza on the Edens Spur has new signage that heavily implies cash will not be returning. I don't remember what exactly the sign said though.

[edwaleni]

But this is Illinois, it's not supposed to be convenient or make sense.

Like during the Ryan era as Sec of State, you could only use Discover to pay your plate renewals online. And they still charged you a card recovery fee.

I wonder how much cash they "discovered" in Ryan's jacket after that went down.

As a kid we all used to get rulers every year from IL Sec of State Paul Powell, with his name emblazoned across them.

Then he died, and they found mattresses full of hard cold cash stuffed in them. If memory serves they recovered around $1.2 million.

[SSOWorld]

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll.

Which is all well and good if you're the owner of the vehicle.  But what if you're driving a company fleet vehicle with no toll pass?  That would be no problem at all if you could pay cash or credit at an actual toll booth.  But, instead, you have to jump through hoops to pay that toll, or else your central office will get a bill for your "toll violation", including surcharge.

And another question:  if you set up an "account" to pay a "missed" toll, then do you later still have the option to pay cash at locations that do have toll booths?  Or will you be double-dipped if you do that?  Because–following along in my fleet driver situation–another driver eight months later at another location within the same system might want to pay cash because that's what corporate expects him to do.

Welcome $$$ to $$$ Illinois $$$, enjoy your $$$ costly $$$ stay $$$$$.

FTFY. 

As for my thoughts on the Tollway going all electronic, I think that's pretty likely at this point. The plaza on the Edens Spur has new signage that heavily implies cash will not be returning. I don't remember what exactly the sign said though.

I'm beginning to speculate the same now that I've driven the Tri-State and N-W tollways today.  The South Beloit plaza's signs were replaced indicating I-PASS or Pay Online with them "striping shoulders" where the ramps to the cash lanes are and installing signs saying "authorized vehicles only".  The Waukegan Plaza mirrors this except for the fact that the far right lane is forced into it by the ORT lanes being limited to 3.  The other N-W Tollway plazas have a spare lane open with "I-PASS or PAY ONLINE" noted - but the advance signs were not changed (which sets up a "bait-and-switch" approach to it).  This - in addition to the welcome signs saying "pay online", indicate an effort by ISTHA to eliminate cash altogether.

The ramp tolls that are not already online only still have a lane saying "self serve" (meaning cash or credit).

[hobsini2]

They other thing I have noticed that has change with the Aurora Plaza is that there is on the overhead gantry before the plaza a yellow "15 MPH" banner in the sign. I do think this is going to be permanent.

[SSOWorld]

They other thing I have noticed that has change with the Aurora Plaza is that there is on the overhead gantry before the plaza a yellow "15 MPH" banner in the sign. I do think this is going to be permanent.

That was also the case for the Waukegan and all (except the Rosemont (Devon Avenue) Plaza which didn't have anything (had the old prior to purple mandate signs) until the lane itself which had a subliminal "or pay online" on it.

[ET21]

No one listens to those 15 mph warnings though. Slowest I've really gone is 30 mph through those because you have traffic breathing down your neck behind you.

[I-39]

So when they inevitably begin tearing down the cash plazas, what will they do with the ROW?

[machias]

No one listens to those 15 mph warnings though. Slowest I've really gone is 30 mph through those because you have traffic breathing down your neck behind you.

Coming from the Tri-state onto the Kennedy at the River Rd plaza I've slowed down to 30 and gotten honked at by more than a few cars. I'm amazed at how fast I've seen some cars whip through the toll booths there.

[ilpt4u]

So when they inevitably begin tearing down the cash plazas, what will they do with the ROW?

Go Old School Skyway and put McDonalds where the Cash Lanes are

Granted, it would be the outside of the toll plaza, not the middle, but same (general) idea!

[SSOWorld]

No one listens to those 15 mph warnings though. Slowest I've really gone is 30 mph through those because you have traffic breathing down your neck behind you.

Coming from the Tri-state onto the Kennedy at the River Rd plaza I've slowed down to 30 and gotten honked at by more than a few cars. I'm amazed at how fast I've seen some cars whip through the toll booths there.

Welcome to Chicagoland!

[GeekJedi]

Or you could just wait for the invoice to arrive in the mail with a $3 fee per toll (except IL-390 is $1.50). Still a crappy system but better than old way of $20 fine per toll.

And another question:  if you set up an "account" to pay a "missed" toll, then do you later still have the option to pay cash at locations that do have toll booths?  Or will you be double-dipped if you do that?  Because—following along in my fleet driver situation—another driver eight months later at another location within the same system might want to pay cash because that's what corporate expects him to do.

Which is all well and good if you're the owner of the vehicle.  But what if you're driving a company fleet vehicle with no toll pass?  That would be no problem at all if you could pay cash or credit at an actual toll booth.  But, instead, you have to jump through hoops to pay that toll, or else your central office will get a bill for your "toll violation", including surcharge.

We could play "what-if" all day long. However, I think most of that is overthinking it. There are signs everywhere stating that you need to go to illinoistollway.com. Don't have the internet? Go to the library or mail a check. If you really want to pay the tolls, you can figure out how to do it before it becomes a violation. Heck, home internet penetration is now up to 86%, so you're definitely looking at outliers. Manual lanes have been on the chopping block for years - the ISTHA was just looking for a way to eliminate them without a backlash, and COVID provided that.

[The Ghostbuster]

Non-electronic toll plazas are no longer needed in the 21st century. I'm sure that, soon, electronic toll plazas will be the only ones that exist. No more stop-and-pay toll plazas, only drive-by-and-pay-later-or-electronically toll plazas.

[Revive 755]

We could play "what-if" all day long. However, I think most of that is overthinking it. There are signs everywhere stating that you need to go to illinoistollway.com.

In violation of the MUTCD.

Don't have the internet? Go to the library or mail a check. If you really want to pay the tolls, you can figure out how to do it before it becomes a violation. Heck, home internet penetration is now up to 86%, so you're definitely looking at outliers.

Be great if the libraries weren't closed due to Covid restrictions.  Also could be a problem if one ends up with a multi-day internet outage.

Non-electronic toll plazas are no longer needed in the 21st century. I'm sure that, soon, electronic toll plazas will be the only ones that exist. No more stop-and-pay toll plazas, only drive-by-and-pay-later-or-electronically toll plazas.

Disagree until I can use an I-Pass on the various Texas toll facilities and the bridges out in California.