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A handful of Chicago expressways could be tollways in the near future in an effort to eliminate heavy traffic and promote sustainable mobility moving forward. According to WGN9, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning recently discussed various proposals that fall under their "On To 2050" plan.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people experiencing extreme congestion. Managed lanes are a way to think about how do you get to a free-flow traffic lane? Part of that has to do with pricing the lane,” Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning executive director Erin Aleman shared with WGN9.
As part of the plan, the "managed lanes," would be added to all of Chicago's expressways, and would present the option for drivers to take the quicker lane for a fee. WGN9 detailed a few of these locations to be, "Eisenhower from I-88 to Racine Avenue, I-90 from Jane Addams to I-94 merge," and more. The proposal, thought to go over well as it is intended to lessen undesirable commute times, is receiving mixed reactions from residents.
“No, they just want to get more money out of us because they’re making more lanes. Knock it off,” local Alex Hernandez told WGN9. Others think traffic to be so horrendous around the city, that paying to get home quicker might not be such a bad idea after all.
“There are times when, yes, I wouldn’t mind paying a toll to get through traffic out of the Loop this time of day,” Dan Smith of Oak Park shared. The money made from the tollways would be used to improve infrastructure and mobility throughout the city.