Matt Paprocki
By Matt Poprocki | Posted to the Daily Herald
Gov. JB Pritzker is marketing himself as a champion of affordability. A proposal to impose the largest passenger toll increase in state history cuts directly against that message.
The plan would raise tolls 45 cents for passenger vehicles and 30% for commercial vehicles. If approved, it would generate an additional $1 billion annually starting in 2027, with automatic increases tied to inflation every two years beginning in 2029, capped at 4% annually.
State leaders have framed the proposal as forward-looking, but in reality it’s another cash grab — for a system that doesn’t need the money.
State leaders approved the potential toll hike in November 2025 to secure labor support for a broader transit funding agreement. But the tollway does not need more money: Toll revenues have exceeded operating and maintenance costs for decades. In 2024 alone, the tollway collected nearly $1.44 billion — the most in its history.
With cost of living a top concern in Illinois, residents and businesses do not need something disconnected from necessity or announced projects.
The Illinois Tollway board has a choice. It can approve a record-setting unnecessary increase that drivers and businesses cannot afford, or it can decline the increase and recognize that Illinoisans already pay enough. Nothing will change; the state still has enough money to run road projects and has a surplus sitting in tollway reserves right now.
Since 2019, Illinois drivers have paid roughly $1,500 more in gas taxes and vehicle fees. Higher tolls would affect not only commuters, but ripple through the broader economy.
Commercial tolls are set to rise by 30%, and those costs will be passed on to consumers through higher prices on everyday goods. Nearly everything purchased in Illinois travels by truck at some point, making this toll increase a broad, indirect tax on households statewide.
The proposal is even more troubling because of its automatic inflation-linked increases. That lets lawmakers avoid future accountability. Costs will simply rise in the background, removed from public debate or oversight.
This approach raises serious concerns about how transportation dollars are being managed. Voters approved the 2016 transportation “lockbox” amendment to ensure money would be used appropriately. While this proposal may comply with that framework, it undermines its spirit by layering on new, permanent revenue streams instead of emphasizing the efficiency and restraint voters were looking for.
Illinois has seen this pattern before. In 2019, Pritzker and lawmakers tied the state’s gas tax to inflation, creating automatic annual increases. The result has been one of the highest gas taxes in the nation and billions in surplus revenue. Now, the same approach is proposed for tolls, despite clear evidence that existing funds are more than sufficient.
Spiking fees beyond what’s needed for road maintenance is unfair to drivers, who should pay only for the actual cost of maintaining infrastructure. Using fees collected from residents and businesses to set aside billions to satisfy unions is directly opposed to improving affordability and economic growth in Illinois.
State leaders could pursue meaningful relief. Georgia and Indiana implemented temporary gas tax holidays to help offset rising fuel costs. With Illinois’ transportation funds running a surplus, lawmakers could provide similar relief without jeopardizing long-term funding.
The board responsible for approving the hike is composed of Pritzker appointees, and the governor himself sits on it as an ex-officio member. If the increase moves forward, it will do so with the backing of the same leadership that claims to want to ease the burden on families.
Will Pritzker allow another unnecessary cost increase on Illinoisans, or will he step in and stop it?
For a governor who says he’s focused on affordability, the answer should be clear.
– Matt Paprocki is the president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute
