Traveling thru Illinois? read this...

Started by GSXR RACER MIKE, April 02, 2005, 02:47:13 PM

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GSXR RACER MIKE

     Recently the Governor of Illinois increased the tolls in Illinois substantially and it can really add to travel costs if traveling thru here. >:(  For example the toll at the Illinois/Wisconsin border use to be $.40 for a car and $.50 for a Dually pick-up. Recently I went thru the toll at the border, the 1st time since the increases, and paid $1.90 for the toll for my Dually! The guy at the booth was even ticked off about the increase and said if I had my 2 axle trailer it would have been something like $4.00 for that 1 toll. Now I personally used to travel thru Chicago when going to Gingerman Raceway in Michigan and there are something like 8 tolls each way to make it all the way thru on the Tollway. Figuring this out it would cost me something like $60+ in tolls alone just to get thru Chicago and back with my trailer (figure that in with your fuel mileage)! I can tell you right now that I will be going around Chicago in the future when traveling and I no longer use any of the Tollways to travel here in Illinois. I can only imagine what the cost of the toll is on I-88 midway between the Iowa border and I-39, it use to cost me about $3 each way with my trailer, I wouldn't be suprised with it being $10 each way now!

     As a word of advice to those that need to use the Illinois Tollway, the time of day that you go thru the toll also effects the cost. Anyone with a trailer will be charged heaviest if traveling during the day or any peak travel time, a somewhat lower fee will be assesed if you travel very late at night or very early morning. If you happen to have an Illinois I-Pass transmitter then you can get an even further reduced rate, but that isn't an option for most and it requires leaving a minimum of $20 credited to the account at all times. This requires a credit card # to automatically fill the account with an additional $20 every time you drop below the $20 minimum. Tell me Illinois isn't making money on your money there!

     Just wanted to make sure fellow racers aren't blindsided by these charges without knowing ahead of time!  :-/
Smites are a cowards way of feeling brave!   :jerkoff:
Mike Williams - 2 GSXR 750's
Former MW Region Expert #58
Racing exclusively with CCS since '96
MODERATOR

251am

Hey Mike, is that ferry running out of Milwaukee yet? Cripes, the ferry cost would offset fuel, tolls, and miles on the truck. Anybody got info on that ferry yet? I know one runs out of Manitowoc but that's a little too far north, isn't it?

  How can they charge different rates for different times of the day on that toll? I don't get it. Side roads it is, as usual.

Woofentino Pugrossi

Mike last I heard the Toll system in IL isnt run by the state but an independant company. Thena gain werent they supposed to remove the booths back in the late 80's after they paid for the interstate construction costs were recouped? Last time I went ro chicago it costed me $5 just to get to the Rosemont area. Screw that. I'll take the Northwestern highway or US 20. now. And as for the conditions of the toll roads in IL, where is all the toll money going that is supposed to repair and maintain the roads? I90 in WI (lacrosse to beloit) is 100 times in better shape than I90 from s.Beloit to Chicago.

BTW theres talk about putting a tool booth in WI near the IL border. ::) Would be funny if they just said its a toll booth for IL plated vehicles only.:D
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

dylanfan53

http://www.racemotorcycles.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=ccs1;action=display;num=1104245709;start=0

Note that there's no difference in cost for one and two axle trailers.
Also, I-Pass saves you nothing if you're pulling a trailer.
Don Cook
CCS #53

GSXR RACER MIKE

QuoteHey Mike, is that ferry running out of Milwaukee yet? Cripes, the ferry cost would offset fuel, tolls, and miles on the truck. Anybody got info on that ferry yet? I know one runs out of Manitowoc but that's a little too far north, isn't it?

  How can they charge different rates for different times of the day on that toll? I don't get it. Side roads it is, as usual.

251am:
     Manitowoc isn't far from RA at all, in fact it's closer than Milwaukee. I stayed in Manitowoc one year when there were other events going in the RA area and all the hotels were booked locally. If I remember correctly it's only 40 minutes to the track or so. The other advantage would be not having to deal with Milwaukee traffic and their revenue collectors (I got my only ticket EVER while towing thru there in a clever speed trap, while going with the flow of traffic, in the middle of a group of Wisconsin plated vehicles, how's that for selective enforcement?! >:().

Rob940:
     I have absolutely no idea where the money from Illinois goes, it certainly isn't to the road construction coffers. I have heard some crazy stuff about the corruption of that money, but that's all rumors.

Dylanfan53:
     It looks like the toll at the WI/IL border is more expensive than the Chicago ones, probably because of the total removal of the dangerously placed toll plaza at the Bypass 20 / I-90 interchange at Rockford. Looking at that post you did in December it looks like I could cut my costs down a bit for traveling thru Chicago from what I originally thought, but it's still rediculous considering the state of disrepair the Tollway system is constantly in. Even after repaving the condition deteriorates almost immediately, seems as though they constantly intentionally do a job that won't last (hmmm, is that job security I smell? ;))

     Isn't the technology in place to create a road surface that doesn't have to be replaced every few years? Sure seems like other big cities don't have this problem, and ironically neither do the non-toll roads! :-/
Smites are a cowards way of feeling brave!   :jerkoff:
Mike Williams - 2 GSXR 750's
Former MW Region Expert #58
Racing exclusively with CCS since '96
MODERATOR

Woofentino Pugrossi

Mike, its pretty corrupt there. ;D Your Gov Blagojevich is Chicago's Mayor Daley's stooge. Daley wants something, Ol Rod bends over backwards for him. ;D And Little Daley is just like his daddy, more crooked than the corkscrew at Laguna. ;D
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

Woofentino Pugrossi

Actually Mike, it wouldnt be too bad backroading it as long as you miss rush hours. I could run HWY 14 to the Edens Exp (I94) and stay on that and its a freeway all the way to IN. Or basically do the same on HWy 20 out of rockford if I was going to gingerman again.
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

dylanfan53

#7
I think you're right about the IL/WI booth.  I went by there a couple months ago and seem to recall it.  Frankly, I don't look at it much or think about it since it's such a ripoff.

As far as Rt14, I've done that many times, but it is slow as heck getting stuck behind someone doing 50pmh or in traffic.  If you want to though, take it through Crystal Lake/Cary/Barrington to Lake/Cook road then east from there to Rt 53 South past Schaumburg/Woodfield to east Eisenhower (whatever number that is, I-90?) into the city onto the Ryan where you will fight traffic and construction to get on the Skyway to pay something like $3.75 for a trailer, then onto the IN Toll Road. Instead of the Skyway you can stay on I-94 and go around free.
Don Cook
CCS #53

Jeff

FWIW, the ferry across lake MI (either of them) is not an economical option, period...

*IF* they will haul your truck/van/RV + trailer, you're looking at a bill around $600...  I looked into this a couple of times.  It's stupid type expensive (even moreso than the ridiculous IL tolls that charge *ME* for driving on those crappy roads)...

Bucket List:
[X] Get banned from Wera forum
[  ] Walk the Great Wall of China
[X] Visit Mt. Everest

G-reg

Its like $50 per person, another $50 for a car or truck and $5 per foot for your trailer for the carferry in manitowoc..  Thats about what it was last year anyways..  So maybe it would be cheaper if you travel alone with your bike in the back of your truck that gets 4mpg..   ;D

I don't know if it will even be running for RA though, I live about 2 miles from where it comes in in Manitowoc and I haven't seen it running yet this year..
--Greg
MW EX#84

Scott

Great, I knew the tolls were going up.  Living near Gingerman means 5 trips thru Chi-town for Blackhawk and one in a couple weeks for RA.  Looks like I need to find the long way around!

Jeff

www.lake-express.com is our new high-speed ferry...  here's the totals:

Round trip, 2 persons, truck w/16' trailer:

Passengers $85 ea = $170
Auto $118
Trailer $180

Total: $468 + tax, etc.

Now, I've got 2 kids so that adds another $80, and my trailer is 23' (which they won't accept), but even if they did, it would be an additional $70 on top of the above...

Grand total = $618...  

Give me a break!!!
Bucket List:
[X] Get banned from Wera forum
[  ] Walk the Great Wall of China
[X] Visit Mt. Everest