The case that freeways greatly benefit communities more than toll roads

[peterj920]

A consequence that is not thought of with building a toll road is that it is harder to encourage development compared to a freeway.  I have plenty of examples to make my case.  I-94 in Illinois along the Tri-State Tollway only has one interchange that has significant development, and that is the IL 132/Grand Ave interchange largely because the attractions like Six Flags and Gurnee Mills have made it a destination.  There is a penalty for being double tolled for exiting and entering again, encouraging travelers to using the Oasis on the freeway instead of exiting off of the freeway and purchasing food, gas, etc in communities along the freeway.  Entering into Wisconsin, Pleasant Prairie and Kenosha have been experiencing explosive growth, and the interchanges keep growing.  Amazon decided to build their giant distribution center, the Wis 50 has become a hotbed for development, and the Wis 165 interchange also has a mix of industrial, commercial, and a huge outlet mall.  Once crossing into Wisconsin, I-94 is designed for people to spend their money on businesses along the freeway by not penalizing people for exiting it and charging more fees.

Along older turnpikes such as the Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike, there isn't much activity at those interchanges.  In the larger communities that they skirt by, the development occurs along the free freeways in the area.  In Texas, TX 130 hasn't encouraged much development at all and the company running it filed for bankruptcy.  It's clear that most people would rather us I-35 for free even if it's more congested than pay to use TX 130, even with an 85 mph speed limit.

The toll roads in Dallas and Houston have plenty of economic development, but the frontage roads make it easy to avoid paying tolls, and they often have 2 or 3 lanes making them fairly easy to use. 
Can also look at Tulsa, OK where the Creek Turnpike doesn't have much commercial development, but once it turns into the Mingo Valley Expressway and becomes free, the development dramatically increases. 

Point is, tollways will provide money for maintaining the toll roads, but make it harder to attract developers in a lot of cases.  But freeways that are free to drive are more likely to increase development, get people to spend money alongside it more often than a toll road, and contribute to the tax bases of the communities alongside them.  When deciding to build a freeway or tollway, the economics need to be taken into consideration. 

[jeffandnicole]

All of that is taken into consideration.  With any road building project today, economics are definitely looked at, both from a project standpoint and a locality standpoint.  Some areas want the development...other areas would prefer to be left in their more rural condition.

Taking a very quick glance at Ohio, it depends on where the interchanges are located.  The closer to the city, the more likely there's development going on, even though most of the interchanges are connected to other Interstate routes.  The further you go away from a city, the more rural the area is around the interchange.  This is true with free interstate highways as well.

Many areas don't want developers, and if those areas are 50+ miles from a city, chances are, they aren't going to want developers regardless if it's a free highway or a tolled highway.

[Joe The Dragon]

A consequence that is not thought of with building a toll road is that it is harder to encourage development compared to a freeway.  I have plenty of examples to make my case.  I-94 in Illinois along the Tri-State Tollway only has one interchange that has significant development, and that is the IL 132/Grand Ave interchange largely because the attractions like Six Flags and Gurnee Mills have made it a destination.  There is a penalty for being double tolled for exiting and entering again, encouraging travelers to using the Oasis on the freeway instead of exiting off of the freeway and purchasing food, gas, etc in communities along the freeway.  Entering into Wisconsin, Pleasant Prairie and Kenosha have been experiencing explosive growth, and the interchanges keep growing.  Amazon decided to build their giant distribution center, the Wis 50 has become a hotbed for development, and the Wis 165 interchange also has a mix of industrial, commercial, and a huge outlet mall.  Once crossing into Wisconsin, I-94 is designed for people to spend their money on businesses along the freeway by not penalizing people for exiting it and charging more fees.

I-94 WI was built on top of the old US-41 and Tri-State Tollway was the old TOLL US-41 bypass.

And parts along the tri-state have a lot of forest preserve land.

Let's go down by each ramp all the way to I-90 from  IL 132.

IL-21 half ramp free use of the tollway to / from IL 132.

IL-120 Tided up with the IL-53/Il-120 plan? Likely to have local links cut off?

IL-137 Full abbot

IL-176 forest preserve land / homes will make a full interchange a tight fit.

IL-60 full and a lot of buildup.

IL-22 full and a lot of buildup.

deerfield road the half one is an tight fit. and near near lake-cook.

Lake-cook full very build up.

Palatine / willow full very build up. Direct ramps needed to Palatine express if that ever gets upgraded.

There was an plans to build ramps at lake. Area is build up some what with a lot of forest preserve land.

IL-58 a lot of forest preserve land may can fit in a full interchange.

US-14 forest preserve land can maybe work in a full interchange.

river / touhy forest preserve land / river / some build up / homes right next to forest preserve land. can maybe add more ramps.

[hbelkins]

And then there's Breezewood. 

[kphoger]

The point of toll roads is often specifically to allow motorists to avoid driving through development.

[Brandon]

A consequence that is not thought of with building a toll road is that it is harder to encourage development compared to a freeway.

[sniped rest of rant]

I'll counter this and examine each interchange along the entire Illinois Tollway system, along with interchanges along some of the freeways in the area.

Tri-State Tollway
- IL-173 - a half interchange, only two miles from a full interchange with a truck stop.
- IL-132 - a full interchange with a lot of services, was fairly empty until Gurnee grew toward it with the opening of Great America.
- IL-21 - a half interchange only a mile from IL-132.
- IL-120 - a freeway/expressway in both directions from the tollway for about two miles.  Not much chance for services there.  In fact, that's part of the reason Lakehurst Mall died.
- IL-137 - was a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  Abbott Labs is there, taking up potential services space.
- IL-176 - half interchange with Lambs Farm taking up a full quadrant.
- Lake Forest Oasis
- IL-60 - was a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  Costco and hotels can be found here.  Most everything else congregated near Hawthorne Mall to the west.
- IL-22 - a full interchange with Trinity International University taking up a full quadrant.  There are some hotels here.
- Deerfield Rd - a half interchange with residences developed near it.
- IL-43 - a half interchange developed with a mall (Deerbrook), gas stations, restaurants, and hotels.
- Lake-Cook Rd - a full interchange added in the late 1980s.  Some restaurants and hotels.
- Willow Rd - a full interchange with shopping and a gas station.  To the west quickly becomes an expressway.
- IL-58 - a half interchange with a gas station with forest preserves nearby.
- US-14 - a half interchange near forest preserves and a high school.
- Touhy Av - a half interchange with food, gas, and hotels in spite of being next to forest preserves.
- Balmoral Av - a new half interchange providing access to an already developed area.  It's opening; however, did allow for the opening of the Fashion Outlets of Chicago.
- IL-19 - a half interchange with hotels.
- O'Hare Oasis
- IL-64 - a half interchange that had nothing until a truck stop was built (servicing I-294 and I-290).
- IL-38 - a half interchange with cemeteries to the east and a freeway to the west.
- 22nd St - a half interchange next to forest preserves and office parks.
- US-34 - a full interchange with a Whole Foods, gas stations, and restaurants (all to the west).
- Hinsdale Oasis
- Joliet Rd - a half interchange that is part of I-55 to the east.
- Wolf Rd - a half interchange with residential development
- 75th St - a full interchange built for the intermodal facility there (UPS/BNSF).  All industrial.
- US-12/20 - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  The 95th St/Harlem Av interchange is directly to the east.  Restaurants, gas stations, & hotels can be found to the west.
- IL-50/127th St - a full interchange with gas, food, and lodging.
- IL-83 - a new half interchange, services are near the nearby I-57/IL-83 interchange.
- US-6 - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  Fuel is at the nearby Dixie Hwy.
- Dixie Hwy - a half interchange with services for commuters (2 Metra stations) including gas and food.
- IL-1 - a full interchange with freeway-style services.
- Lincoln Oasis

Northwest Tollway
- IL-173 - a new full interchange with a state park taking up one quadrant.
- Riverside Blvd - a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.
- Bus US-20 - a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.
- Irene Rd - a new interchange with no development yet.
- Belvidere Oasis
- Genoa Rd - a full interchange with food and fuel (and a Walmart).
- US-20 - a full interchange with a hotel and truck stops.
- IL-47 - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange with food and fuel as well as an outlet mall.
- Randall Rd - a full interchange with a gas station and a hotel.
- IL-31 - a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.
- IL-25 - a full interchange with a gas station and a hotel.
- Beverly Rd - a half interchange built for Sears corporate HQ.
- IL-59 - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange with two shopping centers, but abutting a forest preserve.
- Barrington Rd - a half interchange with a theater and a hotel.  Food and fuel are nearby.
- Roselle Rd - a half interchange with Medieval Times (built because tollway)
- Arlington Heights Rd - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.  A Meijer was built there because tollway.
- Elmhurst Rd - a half interchange without much near it.
- Des Plaines Oasis
- IL-72 - a half interchange with the Allstate Arena built because tollway.

To be continued...

[Brandon]

East-West Tollway

- US-30 - a full interchange whose thunder is stolen by the IL-40 interchange closer to Rock Falls.
- IL-26 - a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.
- IL-251 - a full interchange with a gas station.  The truck stops are at IL-38 and I-39 nearby.
- Annie Glidden Rd - a full interchange with a hotel and a shopping center.
- DeKalb Oasis
- Peace Rd - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  DeKalb and Sycamore have most of their development between the two on IL-23, access is easiest from Peace Rd.
- IL-47 - a half interchange with no development.
- IL-56 - a half interchange, becomes a freeway for 3 miles.
- Orchard Rd - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange.  Has development because tollway.
- IL-31 - a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging.
- Farnsworth Av - a full interchange with fuel, food, lodging, and an outlet mall all because tollway.
- Eola Rd - a new full interchange with no development yet.
- IL-59 - a half interchange upgraded to a full interchange with fuel, food, and lodging because tollway.
- Winfield Rd - a full interchange.  The entire Cantera development (fuel, food, lodging, offices, theater) is all due to the tollway being there.
- Naperville Rd - a full interchange.  There's a lot of development in Naperville built because the tollway is there.
- IL-53 - a half interchange with the Morton Arboretum taking up the north half.  Yet, there's still fuel and lodging to the south.
- Highland Av - a full interchange.  Yorktown Center might not be there and still alive without the tollway.
- Midwest Rd - a RIRO, yet there's a lot of development built partially because of this tollway exit and the next two.
- IL-83 - a half interchange, freeway to the south, Oakbrook Center (built because the tollway was there) to the north.
- Spring Rd - a RIRO, provides access to Oakbrook Center area.
- York Rd - a half interchange without much commercial development.

North-South Tollway

- Southwest Hwy - Silver Cross Hospital relocated here due to the interchange.
- 159th St - Lockport has been developing the area due to the interchange.
- 143rd St/Archer Av - not much here yet other than a gas station off 143rd St.
- 127th St - A refinery to the west, most of Lemont's development is nearby on State St.
- Boughton Rd - All the development here, mall, fuel, food, is due to the interchange.
- 75th St - a shopping center was built due to the interchange.  The fuel and food came before the tollway.
- 63rd St/Hobson Rd - A Target and Dominick's, as well as a gas station, due to the interchange.
- Maple Av - Mostly residential.
- Ogden Av - Offices and a gas station.
- Butterfield Rd - All the development to the east predates the tollway, the stuff to the west is due to the interchange.
- Roosevelt Rd - interchange is in a valley, all development up on the hills east and west.
- North Av - food and fuel, as well as a shopping center due to the interchange.

Now let's compare some freeways...

[Brandon]

I-55, Gardner to Chicago City Limits

- Exit 227 - a couple of gas stations.
- Exit 233 - a gas station and a motel.
- Exit 236 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 238 - partial interchange, nothing.
- Exit 240 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 241 - nothing but access to wilderness lands.
- Exit 244 - formerly Exit 245.  Nothing but petrochemical facilities.
- Exit 247 - nothing.
- Exit 248 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 251 - partial interchange, nothing.
- Exit 253 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 257 - fuel, food, and lodging, along with Louis Joliet Mall.
- Exit 261 - partial interchange, nothing.
- Exit 263 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 267 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 268 - partial interchange, nothing.
- Exit 271 - two gas stations, and one is over a mile south.
- Exit 273 - a gas station.
- Exit 274 - fuel, food, and lodging.
- Exit 276 - nothing until about a decade ago.  Now, food and lodging.
- Exit 279 - nothing but rails and a forest preserve.
- Exit 282 - a gas station to the south, freeway to the north.
- Exit 283 - food and fuel are hidden away from the freeway.
- Exit 285 - a couple of truck stops to the south.

Other freeways have had nothing built next to them due to the fact that it is a freeway there, and that includes the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway and IL-53 from I-90 north to Lake-Cook Rd.

Judging from the evidence, toll roads can be just as beneficial as freeways to communities.  The Tri-State Tollway is more the exception in northern Illinois than the rule.