Illinois, Indiana at odds over who gets toll discounts

April 14, 2007

By Thomas V. Bona, ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Illinois and Indiana could be waging a highway toll fight soon.

Indiana is launching an electronic toll-collection system similar to Illinois' I-PASS in June. Passenger vehicles that use Indiana's I-Zoom transponders will get a 40 percent discount on tolls. They'll also get the 50 percent discount on Illinois tolls that Illinois drivers already enjoy.

But so far, Indiana isn't returning the favor. The operator of the toll road has said it won't extend its discount to drivers with out-of-state transponders. And tolls are going up more than 70 percent by the end of the year.

Illinois officials are threatening to cut the discounts for Indiana I-Zoom holders in response.

"The tollway certainly believes that limiting electronic discounts to only holders of certain transponders is not in the best interests of the traveling public," Brian McPartlin, executive director of the Illinois Tollway, wrote in a letter to the Indiana Toll Road's operator. "Nonetheless, the tollway must take steps to protect its customers and respond to the ITR's unwarranted discrimination against out-of-state E-ZPass compatible transponders."

Indiana Toll Road spokesman Matt Pierce said the discount was requested by northern Indiana legislators when the state approved leasing the road to a private operator. It was a way to reward the most frequent users of the road, he said.

Pierce said the toll road operator is willing to discuss how to pass the discount on to frequent users from other states but suggested they could get an I-Zoom as their main transponder. Others who use the toll road less aren't affected much, he said.

"We will never buy into the idea that you need two passes. The pass that is needed is the one for the road you most use," Pierce said. "You're going to have millions of I-PASS users that will say great that Indiana has electronic tolling but they're not using it every day."

Commercial vehicle rates are not affected by the debate.

The toll road is operated by ITR Concession Co. ITR is owned by Cintra-Macquarie, a Spanish-Australian consortium that also operates the Chicago Skyway. The skyway uses the I-PASS system but does not give a special discount for cars with transponders.

E-ZPass is the electronic toll collection system used by states from the East Coast to Illinois. I-PASS and I-Zoom are both members, as are toll systems in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia. Transponders from any member system work in other member systems, so someone could travel across state lines with one transponder and never have to pay cash.

Indiana's system will be similar to Illinois' in that motorists won't have to stop at gates to pay but can continue at about 15 mph. However, Indiana has no plans for open-road tolling.

By the end of the year, the rate for regular passenger vehicles traveling the whole length of Indiana will increase from $4.65 to $8. I-Zoom users will pay under $5.

Pierce said Illinois already won one battle — Indiana went with I-Zoom "because I-PASS was taken."