Beginning today, drivers using the Annie Glidden toll entrance/exit will need exact change or an I-PASS to enter or exit Interstate 88.

Last week, construction began to convert the toll plazas and remove the manned stations, said Michelle Damico, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Damico said the converted entrance/exit will allow vehicles to pass through the exit more quickly and help reduce congestion.

The project comes on the heels of plans announced in August to increase the number of I-PASS Only Lanes in Illinois. The plans call for the addition of as many as 27 new I-PASS Only Lanes at 22 locations by spring 2004.

The west DeKalb toll plaza, located past the Glidden exit, is slated to gain I-PASS Only Lanes as part of the expansion.

The total number of I-PASS lanes in the state also will be increased by 37 lanes for a total of 50. Of the 37 lanes, 26 will be transformed into I-PASS- or exact change-only lanes.

Damico said the authority’s goal is to make as many unmanned exit ramps as possible.

About 1,800 cars can pass through the I-PASS lanes every hour, as opposed to the 1,650 cars that can pass through the automatic lanes in one hour. About 600 to 700 trucks can pass through an I-PASS lane in an hour.

Notices of the change to the Glidden plaza were posted in advance for motorists.

Damico said there haven’t been many complaints about the change.

“We are all creatures of habit, and we expect people to forget,” she said. “It’ll take time for people to adjust.”

An I-PASS can be purchased at participating Jewel-Osco stores, by calling 800-824-7277 or online at www.getipass.com.

It costs 55 cents to exit at the Annie Glidden Road toll; the Peace Road exit, which also is unmanned, costs 40 cents.