Illinois tollway users can now rest a little easier, because the proposed toll increase from 40 to 75 cents likely will not take effect until Governor-elect Rod Blagojevich takes full control of the governorship and has the opportunity to name his own appointees to the Toll Authority.

The Illinois tollway system, created in 1968, has not seen a toll charge increase since 1983 when the standard toll went from 30 cents to 40 cents.

“Governor Ryan has asked that no changes be made to the tollway prices until the transition is complete,” said Joelle McGinnis, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority press secretary.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority Chief Art Phillip, brother of Illinois Senator Pate Phillip (R), publicly has supported raising the toll charges from 40 cents to 75 cents. A discount for I-PASS users also was proposed by Art Phillip.

“We know that if we wait until the next governor comes in, he’ll probably appoint all new board members … and then you’ll have to start all over again to study the subject,” Art Phillip told the Chicago Tribune.

McGinnis explained that the toll charge increase is necessary because the tollway system will be operating in the red as early as the fourth quarter of 2004 without some sort of change.

“There are 274 miles of road in the tollway system; the majority of them are over 40 years old,” McGinnis said.

She discussed how the tollways may appear in good shape to the average driver, but in reality, are deteriorating to the point of necessary repair.

She said the concrete under the actual driving surface requires renovation. This type of work already has been done on other expressways in Illinois that were built around the same time as the tollway.

McGinnis explained that road work on non-toll roads is tax payer funded, but the tollways are self-reliant and funded through the toll charges.

Some politicians in Illinois have accused the Toll Authority of being mismanaged, and are reluctant to support an increase without an overhaul of the Toll Authority itself.

Blagojevich has publicly called the tollway headquarters in Downers Grove the “Taj Mahal,” and has criticized its lavish furniture and helicopter pad. In an interview with The Associated Press, Blagojevich suggested that the Illinois Department of Transportation Office could house the Toll Highway Authority.

“This extravagance stands as a symbol of all that is wrong with the Toll Highway Authority,” Blagojevich said in an interview with The Associated Press.

McGinnis commented that the Downers Grove complex is a great building and that the thought behind some of the amenities is to retain a high re-sale value.

McGinnis noted that the promise made to Illinois tollway users 50 years ago, which stated that as soon as the bonds for the initial tollways were paid off the tolls would be eliminated, “did not take into consideration the maintenance and upkeep, and the inevitable re-construction of the tollways.”

She further explained that the increase in toll charges is not a new issue and that it has been discussed and researched for the past three years. \