For every driver who has ever sat grinding his or her teeth as they battled a relentless stream of traffic, the concept of open-road tolling (ORT) is a breath of fresh air. The congestion relief mandated by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and promised by ORT technology helped secure passage of the Illinois Tollway’s long-overdue, $5.3 billion Congestion Relief Plan—Open Roads for a Faster Future—along with the toll increase needed to fund it. The conversion of all 20 mainline toll plazas to ORT by 2006 is the highlight of a 274-mile overhaul of the Illinois Tollway and will put Illinois on the map as the first state to convert its entire system to barrier-free toll collection.
Tough to pass
Like in other major cities, congestion costs the regional economy more than just the goodwill of its citizens. In the Chicago area, congestion wastes over $4.3 billion of worker time and productivity and consumes $151 million in excess fuel, according to a 2005 Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report.
With housing and commercial growth booming in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, gridlock has become a problem affecting all communities and sapping the economic vitality of northern Illinois.
Chicago’s ranking for congestion was bumped up to second worst in the nation by the 2005 TTI report. The study revealed that the average commuter wastes the equivalent of a week-and-a-half each year sitting in Chicagoland traffic. Researchers placed a price tag of nearly $1,000 per rush hour commuter on the paralyzing gridlock.
A contributing factor to the congestion was the increasing use of tollway roads without corresponding improvements. Built in 1958 as a rural bypass connecting Illinois to Indiana and Wisconsin, the Illinois Tollway now moves 1.4 million vehicles per day from suburb to suburb and from the suburbs to Chicago. Despite the steady increase in traffic, Illinois toll roads have not been rebuilt since their inception almost 50 years ago, resulting in an aging and deteriorating infrastructure.
A major part of the problem was antiquated barrier toll plazas every few miles that brought traffic to a standstill on a daily basis in congested urban areas. Illinois’ electronic toll-collection transponder, the I-Pass, was introduced in 1993, and dedicated high-speed I-Pass express lanes have been in existence since 1998. But it was not until distribution efforts were enhanced and I-Pass was aggressively marketed in 2003 that motorists began seeing a significant reduction in congestion and travel times on Illinois toll roads because of increased I-Pass usage.
With 2.3 million active transponders as of August 2005, I-Pass usage has surged to 72% overall and usage is as high as 90% at some toll plazas during rush hour. Thirty-four percent of toll lanes (171 lanes) are currently I-Pass-only. Just in the last two years, 105 I-Pass-only lanes have been added.
“The decision to convert the Illinois Tollway to ORT is a response to the popularity of the I-Pass program and a direct attempt to further reduce congestion for the growing family of I-Pass users,” explained Tollway Executive Director Jack Hartman. “As Gov. Blagojevich says, it is a quality-of-life issue.”
Using a trip on I-294 between Indiana and Wisconsin as an example, current I-Pass users are reducing their round-trip travel time by as much as 20 minutes.
“Once the switch to open-road tolling is complete we estimate that commuters will be able to save up to a half an hour per day, reclaiming two weeks of their lives each year,” said Hartman. “Imagine—80% of all trucks will be able to breeze through toll plazas at 55 mph.”
Barrier breaking
During the concept stage of the program, the tollway called on several Chicago-area consultants to work together in identifying key components and goals. Burns & McDonnell took a lead role during this concept phase, using a creative, collaborative planning technique called a charette to design a plan of action. The firm’s leadership and innovation in the charette process helped them to be selected as program managers for the $800 million ORT program. Eight other consultants also were selected as designers for the 20 plazas.
“The charette process was a great starting point from which we could gel as a team and find ways to make the entire project a success,” said Tollway Chief of Engineering Jeff Dailey. “We are continuing to work together to redefine project delivery methods and provide our customers with open-road tolling solutions as quickly as we can,” he added.
During the summer of 2005 the Illinois Tollway began converting mainline toll plazas to ORT. Eight plazas will be finished in 2005 (Phase I) and the remaining 12 plazas completed in 2006 (Phase II). The conversion from traditional toll plazas to a completely barrier-free system will allow I-Pass users to pay tolls electronically while traveling at highway speeds, reducing congestion and travel times. ORT also will save fuel and reduce vehicle emissions near toll plazas by 42% since accelerations, decelerations and wait times are either greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.
As a rule, each plaza will have as many ORT lanes as there are mainline lanes leading into or exiting the plaza. Vehicles without I-Pass will pull off to the right to pay cash at booths without slowing the free flow of traffic on the mainline. All coin baskets will be retired, and the cash lanes will be staffed by an attendant to provide change and provide customer service. All lanes also will accept I-Pass so that customers who have a question or need directions will be able to use the cash lanes easily.
Separating I-Pass traffic from vehicles paying cash also will improve safety at toll plazas. The tollway is planning new and simplified toll-plaza signage with less text and more universally recognized symbols to further promote safety and improve customer communications when ORT debuts.
Plaza particulars
After carefully researching all of the available options, the tollway selected Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC) to develop, install and maintain its ORT zones in 2005 and 2006. ETC was the first vendor to develop and deploy three lanes of live ORT traffic in the U.S., successfully installing a three-lane ORT zone at the North Texas Tollway Authority in the greater Dallas area.
The schedule for converting 20 mainline toll plazas to ORT has been carefully crafted to keep as many I-Pass lanes open as possible during the process. Tollway staff will continue to monitor the need for more interim I-Pass-only lanes until ORT is complete.
Whole sections of toll plaza lanes will be closed at a time to keep the work zone separate from traffic. Work will begin by converting toll-basket lanes to I-Pass-only lanes, then closing the left-most lanes, including express lanes, to begin construction of the ORT lanes. When express lanes are closed, I-Pass-only lanes will be added to maintain I-Pass dedicated lanes during the entire process.
The eight plazas being converted in 2005 will be retrofitted. These newer plazas do not require extensive work, because some already contain I-Pass express lanes. The work will consist primarily of adding new ORT lanes and enhancing the existing booths, canopy, control building and tunnel.
The remaining 12 plazas will be reconstructed beginning in fall 2005, with ORT lanes complete by 2006.
Because of land considerations and limited right-of-way, some plazas will be split and one direction of toll collection will be moved to another location. At a limited number of reconstructed plazas, new ORT lanes, booths and a canopy will be installed and a new control building with a cross gantry constructed.
Feeling the love
The tollway is working with local municipalities, community leaders, customers and affected residents to address concerns regarding ORT. Through letters, meetings and input gathering, it is striving to minimize the disruption of the conversion to ORT as well as educate people on the scope and benefits of the project.
“I-Pass is the Illinois Tollway’s most effective congestion-relief tool. Once customers purchase it, they’re hooked, as demonstrated by the numerous ‘I love my I-Pass,’ testimonials voluntarily submitted to www.illinoistollway.com,” said Hartman. “The tollway expects the love affair to be extended to open-road tolling once I-Pass users experience their ‘first date’ with an ORT Lane,” he predicted. TME
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