June 8, 2016 at 11:47 a.m.

To toll or not to toll?


By Brooke Bechen-bbechen@thedodgevillechronicle.com

Sometimes we get a break in this job, and two weeks ago I got my break. My significant other Jamie and I hopped on an airplane to San Francisco, where we visited friends and took in the sights and sounds of a huge city very different than Dodgeville or anywhere near Iowa County for that matter.
After wrapping things up at the paper on Tuesday afternoon, Jamie and I began our vacation with a drive into Illinois on our way to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. A co-worker kindly reminded me before we left to take some cash along as there are a few tolls in Illinois we'd need to get through on our journey to O'Hare.
In the excitement of what was to come, I didn't think much about the tolls on our way into Illinois, but gave them more thought upon our return into Wisconsin, where roads were considerably bumpier and seemingly less maintained. Jamie noticed too - "The roads do seem to be crappier in Wisconsin."
Through the use of the state's capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, the state has seen many good things come about from the use of tolls. The tollway has stimulated economic growth and created jobs, and noticeably led to better roads for driving.
One and a half million people use the Illinois tollway each day, and each day funds are collected from those who use the roads. According to their 2015 annual report, commercial vehicle (trucks) made up 12 percent of the total transactions, amounting to $483.9 million in toll revenue. More than 87 percent of tollway drivers use an I-Pass, which allows them to pay a flat fee and skip the toll checkpoint when driving on the tollway.
The Illinois Tollway committed $1.63 billion in transportation infrastructure improvements in 2015. It was the largest year of capital spending in agency history. Many projects were finished, and made for smooth driving for those visiting, living or just passing through Illinois.
Now, I'm not convinced Wisconsin should invest in tollways, but maybe it is something we should consider. Our roads are shot, our jobs report often shaky - to toll or not to toll?
DODGEVILLE

WEATHER SPONSORED BY