76% of online comments oppose proposed toll hikes
The Illinois Tollway board is slated to vote on the proposal this week.
Online public commenters overwhelmingly oppose proposed Illinois Tollway hikes slated for a vote this week.
Out of nearly 13,750 online comments received from June 18 to Aug. 3, about 10,500 oppose the proposal, 2,250 support it, and 1,000 were neutral. The Illinois Policy Institute obtained the results via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The public comment period has closed, but you can still let the board and Gov. J.B. Pritzker know you oppose the hike here.
The tollway board will likely approve the largest passenger toll hike in Illinois history at its Aug. 19 meeting. The plan would increase fees by 57% for passengers, costing a commuter who passes through two tolls a day for 50 weeks $225 more in 2027.
Commercial vehicles would pay 30% more, which could increase the price of consumer goods transported through Northern Illinois.
Starting in 2029, automatic inflation-linked increases would be imposed every two years without additional board votes.
The tollway says the money will fund a $26.5 billion, 15-year capital plan, which would likely create traffic congestion for drivers.
The proposed hike was born out of a political compromise between Pritzker and labor unions to obtain support for the 2025 bailout of Chicago-area mass transit. The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace, was facing a more than $200 million deficit, which would have ballooned to close to $1 billion by 2028.
To rescue the system, Illinois lawmakers proposed redirecting to the RTA nearly $1.1 billion from the state Road Fund, meant to support road and bridge improvements.
To overcome opposition from labor unions concerned that the diverted money would mean less infrastructure-related spending and fewer jobs for their members, Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders brokered a deal to authorize the tollway to raise rates in exchange for union support.
The Illinois Tollway board consists of:
- Chairman Arnie Rivera
- Vice Chairman Jim Connolly
- Jacqueline Gomes Fuentes
- Manish Mehta
- Melissa Neddermeyer
- Scott Paddock
- Jim Sweeney
- Mark Wright
- Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gia Biagi, ex-officio
- Gov. J.B. Pritzker, ex-officio
Connolly and Sweeney represent labor unions whose members would be employed and paid with money generated from the toll hikes.
During the online public comment period, commenters were also asked to identify their top three tollway priorities from a list. Among those opposed to the toll hike, 91% cited affordability, 67% cited the importance of well-maintained roads, and 51% cited the need for less traffic.
The tollway consistently collects more than it needs to fund road maintenance. In 2025 the system collected $1.75 billion in tolls, $1.3 billion more than it spent on maintenance and operations.
Drivers want both affordability and well-maintained roads. The tollway should deliver on this dual mandate and reject the hike, not letting commuters be the victims of political machinations.
The public comment period is closed, but you can contact the board and the governor here to tell them to reject this hike here.