>> The commute for many Illinois drivers is going to be more expensive starting next year.

That's because the Illinois Tollway board voted this week to raise fees on motorists by $0.45 per toll starting January.

1st tolls on commercial vehicles are also going up by 30%.

The money is going toward the driving connections plan.

That's a 26.0 5 billion dollar investment in 7, Illinois interstates that will develop and repair roads.

Supporters say the plan will save motorists time by creating new jobs and boosting economic activity.

But opponents worry about increasing costs for residents at a time when affordability is already a top concern for many.

Joining us, our Mary Tyler Transportation director at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

And Matt Wells, vice president of the Midwest Truckers Association.

Thanks to you both for joining us.

Mary, the Illinois Tollway board unanimously approved driving connections.

That plan just yesterday.

Talk to us about how much is being invested in what types of projects the money will fund.

>> Oh, well, yeah.

I think you already have highlighted have the top lines 26.5 billion dollar project.

I have to be Frank.

I am not an expert on all the future projects that they are proposing.

going to a lot more detail on that kind of the the benefits of what we see now.

Capital that pass capital program kind of generally then just Yeah, I mean, I think you're obviously in a look at expansion, the continuation of the on eastern access project for 90.

And, you know, general maintenance and things like at the tollway hosted several community listening listening sessions on this plan before the board approved it on.

You attended some voiced her opposition to driving connections.

What are your concerns?

>> We have a number concerns what the tollway is proposed and how they propose to pay Initially, this plan was hastily put together.

They will say that they planned this out for many, many years.

But in all reality, they put this together over the last few months.

After the state legislature essentially approve the idea even though they don't need prove the idea of increasing tolls, 30% in an effort to ease a lot of the labor unions who were irritated about a transfer of funds out of the road fund to fund of the new media Transportation District interim.

>> Mary, you mentioned court that a looking at Illinois Tollway is previous Capitol planned move.

Illinois.

What did you find there?

Yes, or report.

It was with the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

Did a report on move Illinois Capital program to just really understand the impacts of both on the infrastructure and also on the economic impact of that.

And I think, you know, we can draw conclusions from what happened past Apple program of what we can expect the future capital program will do.

>> But really kind of the top lines are completed, you know, some massive infrastructure projects that people can really, I think see the difference of what was of made, you know, look at the the reconstruction of the central tri-state, which included reconstruction of the mile Long Bridge on.

You know, it's an over 4 billion dollar project.

There is also modernization of I-90 also kind of a key connection point is at I-94 and I-57 was another one that was done.

So, you know, overall we can see have a lot those and and improved congestion.

Reduce that congestion as a personal commuter on to 94.

I can attest to And also let me touch on the economic impact of what we saw.

So this was 15 billion dollars invested over 15 years and that resulted and 28 billion dollars in economic activity.

So you know, on top of just these roadway improvements that we've seen, there's been, you know, huge economic activity and that is it produced 150,000 jobs.

And that's not only just the drive construction workers also kind of industries that support constructions that's engineering or the suppliers of materials.

But then it's also the induced economic activity that's produced.

One more people have jobs.

They're just naturally spending more money in the economy.

And so overall, we can see of a huge economic benefit not only just on on, you know, the actual money invested, but it actually stimulated economy as well.

Matt, what do you make of that?

Does Illinois have much to gain from a plan like this economically?

>> I think there are gains to be realized, but at what That's the question we continue to raise as to why these rates have to go up so quickly.

Groceries are going up 30% to give you an idea how much that really is to bring a truck from South Beloit, Wisconsin to Gary, Indiana, through the tollway system after January one will cost over $90 or truck just use the toy system.

Those costs have to go somewhere.

That means the consumers of those goods are being delivered to.

going to have to pay and increased costs and it's going dry those significantly from the very beginning and the rate at which it's going to go up is going to be difficult for people who are already struggling with fuel prices with grocery prices.

Everything you buy in Chicago comes in on the truck in one form or another and to raise those toll rates.

You're going to see a lot of companies pass those costs on.

Those are eventually going to be paid by the consumer.

But the other concern that we have had with these increased whole rate, even though there may be some realize benefit 15 years down the road is that this will put a lot of pressure on the non tollway tributaries for those carriers that are maybe not in the for-hire truck near a large trucking corporation.

They're not able to raise those rates that are private company that utilizes Bristol trucks.

They're going to try to avoid that always much as possible.

controls costs for the customs.

And we just see that there was a better way to go about this is set up a together.

This large of a 26 and a half million project in a matter of months then just largest rate increase that has ever been done on this whole way.

Those a lot of people to also forget that Russian trucks just seen it away rate increase in 2025.

Even though cars didn't see some So see this was hastily put together.

We do believe that the benefits are going to outweigh the cost in the short term or the next few years.

>> I also want to get your out on the Costa, non-commercial motorists, you know, driving connections raises the cost per told by $0.45 for everybody else.

How do you think that will affect someone who is the toll way to commute to work?

For example?

>> I think they're gonna have to weigh very heavily how much they actually use that away.

I know a lot of people say, oh, it'd be great to be wonderful, but construction is lows dropping down in those costs.

Whenever you're trying to decide how much food to put on the table that we and gas in your car or are you going to use that hallway or an aunt a way around?

I think people are going to choose very carefully over the next few years because it just another cost that people can't seem to stomach this point in time.

>> Mary, a lot of drivers.

They hear construction when they think of traffic delays on and and the road getting a little bit bumpy right when you're shifting lanes so that workers can do what they need to do.

Lane closures detours will 15 years of construction not making congestion worse.

>> I mean, there's always going to be some level congestion related to construction.

But I mean, I think we need to look at it and the broader picture and there's a cost to not investing and the roads.

And if they just continue to deteriorate and they're not taking care of in the way that they should be, it's only going to cause bigger problems longer construction periods in the future.

This is something that we saw with the state of Illinois, you know, prior to the rebuild Illinois capital Bill, passing there went decades without investment and there's a huge amount of backlog and the infrastructure is the son of the Illinois Tollway doesn't have that issue and they actually have 100%.

Other roads are considered an adequate condition.

Compared only 75% of the state's and 50% of them are considered an excellent condition which committed only about 30% of state.

Like I got maintain roads.

So there's you know, there's the cost of not adequately investing.

And I think that Lee has the benefit of these dedicated user fees that they can have a plan in place to ensure that their maintenance is being done in the time that it needs to get to ensure everyone has of good, safe, efficient way to get to work or it's for free to get where it needs to go.

So we did receive a statement in Wt W from the Tollway board it says the concerns of commercial drivers were counted for Matt in the plan.

They said, quote.

>> The toll way took the financial demands on commercial trucking businesses and drivers into account when developing the toll rate updates and driving connections program that continues to say the new long-term capital program will continue to deliver opportunities to improve the driver experience and meet the needs of commercial truckers Matt, do you do not think this plan will also help truckers in the long run by upgrading the infrastructure that they rely on for their jobs.

>> Well, there's 2 things here.

The reality will it help?

I'm not disagreeing.

That probably could be in the long run that the improve road system.

But what we're dealing with is the fact that never consulted with any of the trucking industry professionals about what those stories really would look like.

Also, they made promises a previous capital plans to improve parking along the tollway routes, which is a major concern for the trucking industry is we are federally regulated to stop our trucks and certain times because the federal law requires us to they made a promise.

The last capital plan never happened.

They didn't really make that promise any part of this plan.

Either was just an ancillary, knows like, oh, yeah, we thought about you.

And unfortunately we're standing here with empty pockets and a lot of empty promises that we're going to take into consideration better better routes and traffic for the freight industry.

And we just don't ever see a creation from the >> Okay.

Unfortunately, that's