Next semester, commuters may have to dig 35 cents deeper to make the trek to and from NIU.

Two weeks ago, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority proposed a $5.5 billion system-wide reconstruction and widening program that will require a toll increase.

“It’s an inconvenience, but if it’s necessary, there’s nothing we can do,” said Dana Inouye, a senior art major.

If passed, the average 40-cent toll in Illinois would increase to 75 cents. However, I-PASS users would be given a 10 percent discount.

Improvements for the proposed plan will be made on the Northwest Tollway (I-90), East-West Tollway (I-88), Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the North-South Tollway (I-355).

“We need to rebuild and widen the system,” said Joelle McGinnis, press secretary for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. “Some of the roads are more than 40 years old.”

Improvements include rebuilding 234 miles of roadway, widening areas to include 194 lane miles, reconstructing and widening 222 bridges, redecking 126 bridges and constructing 72 I-PASS lanes.

Public hearings about the proposed increase will occur in the 12 counties the authority serves. In DeKalb, the hearing will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, at City Hall, 200 S. Fourth St. McGinnis said the hearing will propose the increase and collect public input.

The authority also will recommend a second increase in 2010 as part of the plan. McGinnis added the amount of the increase will be left to the future board to decide.

That thought doesn’t appeal to some students.

“If they increase it more, then I would find alternate routes,” Inouye said.

The data collected at the public hearings will be taken into consideration when the authority votes. It’s not certain when the voting will take place, but the authority meets on the last Thursday of every month.

If the plan is approved, the authority is required by law to post the increased rates 30 days before implementation. McGinnis said the increase could be in place as early as this summer.

Without a toll increase, the current revenue will not be enough to support the tollways, McGinnis added.

“The very base of our roads need to be totally replaced,” McGinnis said. “If they are replaced, we will not have to go back and do maintenance for 30 years.”

If the plan isn’t passed, though, upkeep costs will surpass the toll revenue generated by 2004. Then, state policy dictates that bond holders will have to foot the bill for toll increases to meet the financial needs.

The tollways aren’t given any federal or state funds, and depend completely on usage. If the plan does pass, it will be the first toll increase in 20 years.

After the proposed plan is completed, it could be possible for toll rates to decrease, McGinnis said.

“We don’t want to, we need to,” McGinnis said. “The tollways are an important part of transportation.”

So far, there are negative and positive comments about the proposed toll increase, McGinnis said.

“I guess it’s good they’re doing it because on many highways there is a lot of congestion,” said Godsy Samuel, a sophomore biology major. “It’s a way to improve that.”