Even with I-PASS expansions underway at the DeKalb toll plaza, commuters who travel to DeKalb on Interstate 88 won’t have to worry about traffic jams.

“We have set up temporary collection lanes during the construction project, so there has not been a reduction in toll-collection lanes,” said Joelle McGinnis, press secretary for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. “In addition, work is scheduled during the day and overnight to complete the project as quickly as possible.”

At both plazas, the two center lanes that share a booth are closed for the construction of new I-PASS-only lanes, according to an I-PASS press release. Temporary booths will be added in the far right lanes at each plaza. Three lanes will remain open in each direction during the addition.

The lane conversion will take about a month, according the press release.

The DeKalb plaza (Plaza 66), along with construction on the Dixon plaza (Plaza 69), will be completed in October, McGinnis said.

Once the project is finished, each plaza will have one I-PASS-only lane and two manual lanes in each direction, according to the press release.

In addition to the DeKalb and Dixon plazas, several contracts are pending approval for other locations.

“Planning and design work is ongoing at other locations as well,” McGinnis said. “Each location has its own schedule. The majority of plazas will be converted this year with the overall project wrapping up in spring,” she said.

This I-PASS Improvement Project, announced by Gov. Rod Blagojevich last month, is expected to add as many as 37 new I-PASS-only lanes at 22 locations, according to the press release.

“The entire project is scheduled to be complete by spring 2004,” McGinnis said.

Permanent I-PASS-only lanes will be added at select ramp toll plazas for the first time, according to the press release. I-PASS-only lanes will exist at all mainline toll plazas at the completion of the project.

The press release states that the York Road, Touhy and Devon plazas already have second I-PASS-only lanes as of earlier this year.

More than 40 I-PASS-only lanes are already in use on Illinois tollways, according to the press release. By having manual, automatic and I-PASS-only lanes operating together at each toll plaza, traffic backups for tollway users are reduced.

Currently, I-PASS users are allowed to go through the automatic or manual lanes, although they are not paying the toll with cash or change. The I-PASS-only lanes will allow them to go through at a reduced speed without stopping.