The Illinois Tollway board, which meets today, is expected to green-light a steep increase in tolls.
How steep? The average increase in each toll being contemplated is 45 cents, which on some legs of Illinois’ network of toll roads will literally double the cost.
What’s worse for drivers is that the proposal also would put toll hikes on auto-pilot, with increases coming every two years starting in 2029.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is pitching something wildly different: an end to tolls. Altogether.
It’s a great populist pain point to press on. It’s hard to imagine anyone would be upset not to pay tolls anymore.
And yet most of us understand that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. How in the world could such a thing be possible?
Tolls are projected to generate about $1.7 billion this year. The point of that money is to maintain the toll roads. Doing away with tolls would mean maintenance of the roads would have to come from some other funding source.
Bailey has offered the beginnings of an answer. His plan calls for stopping new borrowing, paying down the toll authority’s existing debt and ultimately eliminating tolls. His campaign also has suggested redirecting money now spent on Chicago-area mass transit to maintain the roads.
But we need more on how the math would actually work. How much money would be redirected? How quickly could more than $7 billion in existing debt be retired? And once tolls disappear, how will the state pay to maintain and rebuild nearly 300 miles of roadway?
To win as a Republican in Illinois, you have to convince enough centrists and Democrats that you possess not only common sense, but real, workable plans.
These are the folks Bailey is likely targeting with his focus on the Illinois Tollway, realizing many of those affected by these hikes — both the immediate one and future increases — reside in the suburbs.
His opponent, Gov. JB Pritzker, who signed the transit package that paved the way for the coming increases, has written off Bailey’s idea as “unrealistic.”
“He believes that magic beans can take care of everything,” Pritzker said.
If Bailey wants his campaign taken seriously, he’ll have to be able to answer that criticism with a material plan.
Yes, tolls are high, as we’ve argued before. Still, we also appreciate the value of math, and if the money’s got to come from somewhere, we would like to understand the source and how it’ll work.
As far as taxation goes, user fees — like road tolls — are about as good as it gets, because the cost applies directly to the person benefiting from a service, rather than tapping people who rarely drive on the toll roads.
The problem in Illinois, of course, is the body of work. Tolls don’t exist in isolation, and they’re hardly the only tax or fee drivers face. Our state gas tax stands at 48.3 cents per gallon, and it’s set to go up again on Jan. 1, 2027. The increase initially was supposed to take effect this summer, but was delayed as a form of “taxpayer relief” — albeit only 1.3 cents per gallon, or just a few bucks over the course of the six-month gas tax hike delay. Meanwhile, Indiana went considerably further, temporarily suspending its fuel use and excise taxes. Turns out it helps to have your finances in order.
More Top Picks Best Cupping Therapy Sets
Many of these drivers are homeowners waiting on their property tax bills to arrive, whenever that finally happens.
So when those drivers hear about a toll hike, it’s another chunk out of their pocketbook. It all starts to add up.
To that end, Bailey certainly has struck a chord, and there are many people across the state looking for someone to champion tax relief.
Relief without a plan never ends up lasting long, and tends to end up making the pain worse in the long run.
We encourage Bailey to keep beating the drum on affordability, shifting the conversation toward tax cuts and spending reform — but to do that effectively, we’ll need more details on the roadmap to make that possible.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].