Illinois Tollway board approves largest passenger toll hike in Illinois history
The sign-off from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s board came despite overwhelming online comment opposition.
Despite overwhelming online public opposition, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois Tollway board unanimously approved a proposal Wednesday to hike tolls 57% for passenger vehicles and 30% for commercial vehicles.
The increases take effect Jan. 1.
The measure will increase tolls by about 45 cents each for passengers to an average of $1.24 per toll, costing a commuter who passes through two tolls a day for 50 weeks $225 more in 2027. Commercial vehicle tolls will increase 30%, which could increase the price of consumer goods transported through Northern Illinois.
Worse, starting in 2029, automatic inflation-linked increases would be imposed every two years without additional board approval. The Illinois Policy Institute projects that passenger toll prices will triple from current levels by 2055.
The proposal was approved 8-0 to fund a new $26.5 billion, 15-year capital plan, but the automatic toll hikes will continue beyond the timeline of the proposed projects.
The tollway board members are Chairman Arnie Rivera, Vice Chairman Jim Connolly, Jacqueline Gomez Fuentes, Manish Mehta, Melissa Neddermeyer, Scott Paddock, Jim Sweeney and Mark Wright.
Pritzker, who appoints the board, and state Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi are ex-officio members.
The toll hike is an unnecessary cost imposed on drivers to fulfill a deal between Pritzker and labor unions in a bailout of Chicago-area mass transit in 2025. 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 improvements of roads and bridges. 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 reached a deal to authorize the tollway to raise rates in exchange for union support.
Notably, two members of the tollway board, Connolly and Sweeney, represent labor unions whose members will be employed and paid through the money generated from the toll hikes.
The toll hikes and capital plan were presented as necessary to improve the safety and capability of toll roads to handle expected traffic, even though 100% of tollway lane miles are rated as acceptable, far above the statewide average. The tollway also is in year two of its seven-year “Bridging the Future” capital plan, which was implemented to maintain and modernize the tollway at current toll rates.
The toll hike approval also ignores the views of an overwhelming majority of online public comments. More than three out of four online comments — 76% — are opposed to the increases. Those opposed to the hike said they prioritized affordability for drivers, road maintenance and lower traffic.
The tollway consistently collects more in toll revenue than needed for the roads. In 2025 the system collected a record $1.75 billion in tolls, $1.3 billion more than it spent on maintenance and operations. The just-approved construction will create more congestion that will further worsen traffic conditions for commuters.
The slogan when the tollway system was inaugurated in 1953 was “Toll-Free by ’73.” Illinoisians deserve public officials who keep their promises to voters and not endlessly raise taxes for political gain.