What's with all the toll roads in the Chicago area?

[cubssoxfan]

North Star,
You didn't respond to my question regarding traffic flow. I'm assuming I-75, I-85 and I-20 through Atlanta are jammed during rush hour. But isn't I-285 also pretty jammed? If there were tolls, maybe the 2nd perimeter would be under construction. Or instead of siphoning money towards road building MARTA would have needed expansions. Or maybe y'all would have a commuter rail system similar to our METRA.

I'm not disagreeing that, perhaps, your politicians don't take as much "commission" as ours do, but that your view on this is maybe a bit narrow.

By the way, where in the UP are you going? Beautiful part of the country!

[NorthStarDelight]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

North Star,
You didn't respond to my question regarding traffic flow. I'm assuming I-75, I-85 and I-20 through Atlanta are jammed during rush hour. But isn't I-285 also pretty jammed? If there were tolls, maybe the 2nd perimeter would be under construction. Or instead of siphoning money towards road building MARTA would have needed expansions. Or maybe y'all would have a commuter rail system similar to our METRA.

I'm not disagreeing that, perhaps, your politicians don't take as much "commission" as ours do, but that your view on this is maybe a bit narrow.

By the way, where in the UP are you going? Beautiful part of the country!

Well, it depends on what part of 285 you travel on. The whole south end is free-flowing pretty much all the time - I've come back from the airport (SW side of the city) to my house (NE side of the city) at 5 pm on a weekday, and I was flying at 70-75 pretty much the whole way. Atlanta traffic isn't a problem if you keep out of peak hours, and I generally don't have a problem with it - even going though downtown adds about 10 min to the trip if it's being sluggish, less if you're able to use the HOV lanes.

As for the "Outer" perimeter, that keeps getting shot down, toll or no toll, due to the excessive sprawl that this road would bring, although they are putting in a small section of it anyways, as the budget allows. Oh, they are making plans to extend Marta further north, although it's expected to take 10-15 years. In short, the mantra around here is "make do with what you've got", as hardly anyone will support any kind of tax increase in today's tight economy, and like I said before, I ain't complainin'.

As for the UP trip, I'll be visiting the Keweenaw, got a cottage for a great price a week up there - can't wait to experience the cool air off Lake Superior for sure!

[Chicago60614]

Who's paying that much to get to work and back? I mean if you're going on I-355, I-88 or I-90 each day you're not paying much more than $1.50 to $3.00 even if you end up having to travel through large portions of it. The most expensive is going the entire length of the Tri-State through the metro and that's over $9.00, but who does that every day?

Most people I know pay about $3.00 to $4.00 per day. It's not like everyone is driving 100 miles around the tollway.

Of course you can always just take I-94, I-290 and I-90 through the city since all the city expressways and I-55 and I-57, most of I-80 are all free. If you want to avoid the tolls there are plent of opportunities.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

Well, it depends on what part of 285 you travel on. The whole south end is free-flowing pretty much all the time - I've come back from the airport (SW side of the city) to my house (NE side of the city) at 5 pm on a weekday, and I was flying at 70-75 pretty much the whole way. Atlanta traffic isn't a problem if you keep out of peak hours, and I generally don't have a problem with it - even going though downtown adds about 10 min to the trip if it's being sluggish, less if you're able to use the HOV lanes.

As for the "Outer" perimeter, that keeps getting shot down, toll or no toll, due to the excessive sprawl that this road would bring, although they are putting in a small section of it anyways, as the budget allows. Oh, they are making plans to extend Marta further north, although it's expected to take 10-15 years. In short, the mantra around here is "make do with what you've got", as hardly anyone will support any kind of tax increase in today's tight economy, and like I said before, I ain't complainin'.

As for the UP trip, I'll be visiting the Keweenaw, got a cottage for a great price a week up there - can't wait to experience the cool air off Lake Superior for sure!

Sounds like it was 25 years ago; the west bypass is sluggish between 1-20 and 1-75. The northern loop is bad during rush hour between i-75 and i-85 and the eastern bypass and southern leg of the bypass are not bad. My buddy was complaining about getting around Atlanta coming back from spring break trip.
Enjoy the UP, we are looking at a cottage next to Sleeping Bear National Seashore. The UP was very intriguing as well.

[yoyoniner]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

Well, it depends on what part of 285 you travel on. The whole south end is free-flowing pretty much all the time - I've come back from the airport (SW side of the city) to my house (NE side of the city) at 5 pm on a weekday, and I was flying at 70-75 pretty much the whole way. Atlanta traffic isn't a problem if you keep out of peak hours, and I generally don't have a problem with it - even going though downtown adds about 10 min to the trip if it's being sluggish, less if you're able to use the HOV lanes.

As for the "Outer" perimeter, that keeps getting shot down, toll or no toll, due to the excessive sprawl that this road would bring, although they are putting in a small section of it anyways, as the budget allows. Oh, they are making plans to extend Marta further north, although it's expected to take 10-15 years. In short, the mantra around here is "make do with what you've got", as hardly anyone will support any kind of tax increase in today's tight economy, and like I said before, I ain't complainin'.

As for the UP trip, I'll be visiting the Keweenaw, got a cottage for a great price a week up there - can't wait to experience the cool air off Lake Superior for sure!

Listen Northstar, I am a staunch conservative and Toll roads are much better than "free" roads. The toll roads here are rarely jammed and are always under construction as they are flush with money. Lets say you commute on them everyday. You are talking at most a few dollars a day to have free flowing traffic and a better life. Think of how much you pay in taxes everyday, seriously. It is far more than that. Gas taxes do not even come close to the cost of building and maintaining our highways. As much as I know Illinois politics stink and I get where you are coming from, you are just plain wrong on this one. The only thing your "free" road idea solves is something apparently psychological for you. There is just no such thing. Ever. Your argument makes as much sense as saying "I support free healthcare across America."

[rh11]

I dont' think I-90-94 is a toll road through downtown Chicago. Take it straight through to Wisconsin and Milwaukee. All toll free. Takes less time than the toll bypass anyway even if you have stop and go traffic near the loop. And enjoy those Yoopers and the year-round chill they live in.

[Ace Rothstein]

Originally Posted by rh11

I dont' think I-90-94 is a toll road through downtown Chicago. Take it straight through to Wisconsin and Milwaukee. All toll free. Takes less time than the toll bypass anyway even if you have stop and go traffic near the loop. And enjoy those Yoopers and the year-round chill they live in.

90 is a toll when you enter Illinois from Indiana on the Skyway (90 is a toll road through Indiana as well) and 94 is free. After both split and leave the city on the north side they become toll roads and you will pay multiple tolls before hitting Wisconsin.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by rh11

I dont' think I-90-94 is a toll road through downtown Chicago. Take it straight through to Wisconsin and Milwaukee. All toll free. Takes less time than the toll bypass anyway even if you have stop and go traffic near the loop. And enjoy those Yoopers and the year-round chill they live in.

Really?! If you go south in the AM and north in the PM between NW Indiana and NW suburbs, the time spent sitting in rush hour traffic compared with free-flowing highway speed traffic on 294 makes your statement absolutely false IMO.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

Toll roads CAN be defeated, if enough people pressure their representatives enough - I can only hope the good folks in Chicago will do the same soon, so I don't have to pay big bucks passing through just to get to where I'm going.

So you want people here to fight for your ability to ride through and use our roads for free? Go to hell.

[treemoni]

I just came back from a road trip and I was pissed off, because I rode freely through the states I visited. Can't remember the location of this particular booth, but I could've sworn it wasn't there before! The tolls are ridiculous here (for the midwest anyway). Illinois is nickle and diming people any way it can.