CHICAGO — A plan that would add toll lanes to the Stevenson Expy. will be doomed if the General Assembly doesn't act soon, the state's top highway official says.
The plan would add toll lanes to the median of the Stevenson from the Dan Ryan Expy. to I-355 under the plan. Announced in August, the idea was touted as a way for motorists to pay to avoid traffic jams on one of the city's main routes.
"The cost of doing nothing has the potential to harm the state's ability to do business for years," Randy Blankenhorn, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation said of the Legislature's inaction.
Under the plan, most of the Stevenson, which is the northern portion of Interstate 55, would remain free. But a less-congested "managed lane" would be available for a toll and would be built by a private company, which would keep a portion of the toll.
The cost hasn't been officially announced, but $2.75 each way has been suggested. The fee would be based on the amount of congestion, meaning it would cost less during the off-peak hours.
"The one thing standing in the way for Illinois to proceed is a joint resolution by the House and Senate so IDOT can start listening to proposals from investors," Blankenhorn said in an op-ed published in the Tribune Monday.
Without a vote by April 1, investors "will walk away," said Blankenship, adding that the state cannot afford the lanes, which would cost $420 million to build, without such private cash.
Blankenhorn said the inaction is based on "reasons that remain unclear."
But the Stevenson project is caught in the ongoing budget battle between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who supports the project, and Democratic House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
After Rauner pushed the plan at an appearance Monday, saying the traffic jams on the Stevenson "slow down business effectiveness" and hurt the economy, Madigan's office released a statement saying that specifics on the costs, results and anticipated tolls haven't been spelled out to the speaker's satisfaction.
"Our concern with private investors being involved in a toll lane is that, once again, it seems as though Governor Rauner is more interested in helping his wealthy friends," the statement from the Southwest Side legislative leader said.
Rauner said the project has bi-partisan support, would create construction jobs and is backed by many unions. "I think it's time to ask the Speaker...Why are we creating barriers to job creation?" Rauner said at an IDOT facility in Southwest suburban McCook.
Blankenhorn, also at the event, told reporters there have been five House hearings on the proposal, adding "We have answered every question they've had."
Chicago's experience with privatizing parking meters, which has resulted in public criticism amid escalating fees, may also clouding the Stevenson plan, Rep. Bob Rita (R-Blue Island), chairman of the House Tollway Oversight Committee told Greg Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business in January.
The stretch of the Stevenson between the Dan Ryan Expy. and I-355 sees 170,000 vehicles a day, about 15 percent of which is truck traffic, the state said.
