Express Lane Fee Could Pay for I-90 Costs

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials lean towards paying for road work on I-90 with congestion pricing

If you like to use I-90 express lanes to save time, you may soon have to pay for the added benefit.

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials said Tuesday that money raised from congestion pricing could help pay for the rebuilding and widening of the Jane Addams Tollway,

Congestion pricing would give drivers the option of paying more to drive in an express lane during peak times or creating a carpool lane that allows single-occupancy vehicles for a fee, according to the Daily Herald.

The stretch of I-90 between Rockford and the River Road Toll Plaza needs to be reworked because of its age and deterioration in recent years and to help ease mounting congestion during rush hour.

The project could cost between $1.9 and $4.5 billion depending on when the repairs are done and what type of transit is added.

Officials are toying with ideas of adding a STAR line along the corridor. The proposed commuter rail system would run along I-90 and the EJ&E Railway and would be operated by Metra.

The I-90 portion would run north-south from O'Hare/Rosemont to Hoffman Estates. The EJ&E section would continue east-west through Naperville to Joliet.

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