Illinois Tollway Notes

[Revive 755]

And a big miss with no apparent evaluation of changing the tolling structure to be more like IL 390.

Didn't they just do a big rebuild of I-90 about 10 years ago with a lot of ITS additions?  Particularly on the Elgin Toll to Lee Street segment?

If there was more new construction beyond a short extension of IL 390 the toll increase would be more palatable, particularly the more than doubling of tolls at certain plazas on IL 390.

[I-55]

The way the south Tri-State improvements were written is somewhat redundant if not confusing. If there's plans to widen and rehab from IL-394 all the way to I-80 W, why is there a separate contract for the SB widening?

Picking 159th street as the endpoint of the widening is also a weird spot since that is the least traveled segment of I-294 (115k AADT). Why not end it at I-80 W? Or take it all the way to 95th?

I hope the I-80 toll plaza improvements includes maintaining 3 lanes each way through the plaza with the $42 million price tag allocated to it. Right now the 3rd "lane" is utilizing the old cash plazas and contribute to the backups on eastbound 80.

https://agency.illinoistollway.com/documents/d/guest/2026-06-stri-projects-by-corridor

[ET21]

Nothing real major for a bit with the big project.

-The final layer of asphalt is going on between Ogden and I-55.
-More bridge spans being added at the 88/290 JCT.
-I-290 roadwork continuing but have not been through that section in a couple months
-There are overhead sign pieces laying on the I-490 ramp from NB 294, so have a feeling we'll be seeing those go up soon

[JREwing78]

No plan to make that toll near WI to 4 lanes each way?

Why? 60,000 vehicles per day is hardly taxing that section of the Tollway. Even down at the split for I-39/US-20, traffic counts at 74,000 per day are well within the design limits of the roadway. 

I would love to see the Tollway add median lighting north past at least Riverside Blvd, though I won't complain if they run it up to the tollway's end at Rockton Rd. It's kind of silly that miles and miles of cornfields have better lighthing than the freeway around a population center. 

[ChiMilNet]

No plan to make that toll near WI to 4 lanes each way?

Why? 60,000 vehicles per day is hardly taxing that section of the Tollway. Even down at the split for I-39/US-20, traffic counts at 74,000 per day are well within the design limits of the roadway.

I would love to see the Tollway add median lighting north past at least Riverside Blvd, though I won't complain if they run it up to the tollway's end at Rockton Rd. It's kind of silly that miles and miles of cornfields have better lighthing than the freeway around a population center.

The section around Rockford was widened and rebuild before the section between there and Elgin. At the time, LED lighting was not really a thing, and I am sure that LED lighting allowed it to be more feasible from a cost standpoint to light up the full length of I-90 between Rockford and Chicago. I imagine when the next revamp happens near Rockford, lighting might be in the plans.

[Revive 755]

No plan to make that toll near WI to 4 lanes each way?

Why? 60,000 vehicles per day is hardly taxing that section of the Tollway. Even down at the split for I-39/US-20, traffic counts at 74,000 per day are well within the design limits of the roadway.

I could go for extending the fourth lane at the I-39 interchange and dropping at the Business 20/State Street interchange to smooth the merge out a little more.

[cwm1276]

No plan to make that toll near WI to 4 lanes each way?

Why? 60,000 vehicles per day is hardly taxing that section of the Tollway. Even down at the split for I-39/US-20, traffic counts at 74,000 per day are well within the design limits of the roadway.

I could go for extending the fourth lane at the I-39 interchange and dropping at the Business 20/State Street interchange to smooth the merge out a little more.

I could go for the same southbound. Entering 39/90 southbound can be tricky as trucks are getting right for 39 and the loop causes a later acceleration to get to highway speeds.

[I-55]

I believe that Joe The Dragon's comment is referring to Waukegan Plaza 21 on I-94 and not South Beloit Plaza 1 on I-90. I-94 is 8 lanes with 81,800 AADT and only 6 lanes are ORT at Waukegan. For consistency with the 8-lane route from Chicago to Milwaukee I can see justification for 8-lanes ORT, but 81,800 AADT is still within that "could be 6-lane or 8-lane" range. Of note, I-90 does the same thing at Elgin that I-94 does at Waukegan with 108,000 AADT.

[Revive 755]

The ramp from eastbound I-290 to southbound I-294 and westbound I-88 is back to a single lane.

[Great Lakes Roads]

The Illinois Tollway has APPROVED the 45 cents toll hike increase for all vehicles starting on January 1st! 

[Revive 755]

^ It's not the widely reported 45 cents - it varies by the current toll amount.  Their calculator (https://ua.getipass.com/trip-calculator show the Dixon plaza on I-88 going up to $2.90 (currently $1.80), the Waukegan Plaza on I-94 going up to $2.25 (currently $1.40), the Belvidere and Marengo Mainline Plazas on I-90 going up to $2.40, and the Spring Creek Plaza on I-355 going up to $3.05 (currently $1.90).

I suppose on the bright side the tolls on IL 390 east of I-290 still look reasonable.  The IL 390 WB Ketter Drive entrance is only going up to $0.30 from the current $0.20, and all of IL 390 between I-290 and IL 83 will cost a $1.00 from the current $0.65.

[ET21]

The Illinois Tollway has APPROVED the 45 cents toll hike increase for all vehicles starting on January 1st! 

Darren Bailey (GOP nominee for gov this Nov) already said he'll get rid of the tolls cause of this,

Good luck with that buddy lol

[Revive 755]

The ramp from EB I-290 to SB I-294 and WB I-88 is back to two lanes.