* The Daily Herald…

A massive rate increase in 2027 with additional hikes every two years sailed through the Illinois tollway board of directors Wednesday.

The initial proposal raises I-PASS passenger vehicle tolls from an average of 7 cents to 11 cents a mile, or 57%, and truckers would see a 30% jump.

That will be followed by inflation-related increases every two years tied to the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers. The CPI will be capped at 8% every two years, with a maximum CPI of 4% every year, officials said.

The proposed increase is part of the tollway’s 15-year, $26.5 billion Driving Connections capital program, which officials promise will reduce congestion, improve mobility and create jobs.

* Sun-Times…

The hike, the first since 2012, was made possible by the state’s new transit funding law, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed last year. The Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act raised some Chicago-area taxes to pump an extra $1.5 billion a year to state public transit, including the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.

The transit law also redirected some of the sales tax on motor fuel from the state’s Road Fund, typically used for road construction projects, to public transit. As a concession to labor groups, lawmakers granted the Tollway permission to raise tolls to make up for that lost cash.

Even with the proposed toll rate increases, the toll rates for passenger vehicles will remain among the lowest in the nation, the tollway’s chief financial officer, Cathy Williams, told the board. After the hike, a passenger vehicle with an I-Pass will pay an average of 11 cents per mile, below the national average of 16 cents per mile, she said. […]

The new funds will help finance everything from additional lanes, to reconstructed interchanges, to upgrading fiber optic cable, which the agency says it earns money from by selling access to utility companies.

* American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois…

“The Tollway is a critical part of Illinois’ surface transportation network because it connects workers to jobs, businesses to customers, freight to markets and Illinois communities to the national economy. A system this important requires sustained investment to replace aging infrastructure, modernize interchanges, improve safety, reduce congestion and prepare for future demands,” said Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “We applaud the visionary approach of the Tollway’s leadership and board and thank Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly who made this investment possible. We strongly support the Driving Connections capital plan—a proposed 15-year, $26.5 billion investment in northeastern Illinois and the broader regional economy. Driving Connections represents the kind of responsible, long-term planning Illinois needs and our member firms look forward to continuing our partnership with the Tollway to deliver a safer, stronger and more resilient transportation system.”