Report urges toll hike for O'Hare access

The bypass leading to O'Hare Airport's west side needs to be built, and tolls on Illinois tollways ought to be raised to pay for it, an advisory council said in its report Thursday.

"In order to have good roads, you have to pay for them," Gov. Quinn said as he accepted the report from the council he commissioned in October. "We have to invest in something important that creates jobs. Transportation is our competitive advantage." The council concluded the road granting western access to O'Hare could create 65,000 permanent jobs and relieve congestion in the western suburbs. Reduction in congestion will save motorists $145 million a year, the council concluded. But money for the $3.6 billion project has to come from somewhere, said DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin. "We still have a $400 million ask from the federal government," Cronin said. But Illinois currently tolls motorists on state tollways only 3 cents a mile, compared to the national average of 7 cents a mile. Doubling that would be a start toward funding the western access, though it would not cover all the costs, he said. There are no specific proposals in the report to raise tolls by a specific amount. But the Democrats and Republicans on the panel, including Cronin, his predecessor Bob Schillerstrom, City of Chicago Aviation Chair Rosemarie Andolino and a host of west suburban mayors all signed off on the recommendations. Traditional federal and state capital funds will likely also play a role, as well as Tax Increment Financing, public-private partnerships and private financing, the report said. Quinn said after the news conference that Illinois needed to maintain its national reputation as a transportation hub for airports, roadways, railways and even bike paths.