IDOT seeks ideas for adding toll lanes to I-55 freeway
Wanted: A highway builder who doesn't mind taking risks.
The Illinois Department of Transportation Thursday asked construction firms to submit ideas on how to build two tolled express lanes on I-55 in DuPage and Cook counties.
The combination of a freeway and a toll road is a new concept in Illinois but IDOT thinks that guaranteeing a steady speed of 45 mph or so in the express lane would convince drivers to pay.
The public-private partnership is a result of the state's budget woes and absence of a capital plan, as well as the necessity of fixing chronic traffic jams on I-55.
The project involves one new lane in each direction of I-55 east from Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) to the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Responses from builders are due Sept. 8. IDOT would conduct one-on-one interviews with firms and use the private sector input to come up with a blueprint to build and operate the lanes.
"Working together with the private sector, we can learn about best practices for projects like this, potentially saving taxpayers time and money," IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said in a statement.
The freeway handles about 170,000 vehicles a day and is a major truck route.
The toll lanes would be on the inside shoulders. Pace express buses currently use that space during rush hour.
Tolls would be collected for IDOT with I-PASS transponders.
The express lanes would also feature "congestion pricing," meaning costs could vary depending on traffic.
For example, close to rush hour, prices could increase to control the number of vehicles in the express lane and guarantee continuous movement.
Tolls would be priced high enough to ensure a fast trip and incidentally move a lot of cars.
Studies on California highways showed express toll lanes carried twice as many cars as free lanes at rush hour, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported.
The toll rate has not been set, although IDOT studies have considered 10 to 25 cents a mile.
Federal and state lawmakers need to sign off on the plan.