Editorial: On tolls, Indiana looks to take a page out of Illinois' book
Illinois counties that want to secede and join Indiana, be warned: The Hoosier State looks like it's adopting an Illinois-style approach to toll roads.
A bill moving through the Indiana legislature would allow increased tolling across the state. As the Times of Northwest Indiana put it, 'The plan to pay for Indiana's road maintenance needs can be summed up in two words: Tolls, everywhere.' Like Illinois, Indiana is facing funding challenges to pay for infrastructure costs, and this bill would generate billions for that purpose.
Indiana is often heralded as a low-tax, low-cost alternative to neighboring Illinois, but this move feels all too familiar to folks who whip out their E-Z Pass on Illinois tollways.
The biggest hit for Illinois drivers would be the possible addition of tolls on I-80, I-94 and I-65. Approximately 14,839 workers commuted from Illinois to Lake County, Indiana, in 2020, while about 42,118 Lake County residents commuted to Illinois for work, according to data from the Indiana Department of Revenue. And those are just the numbers for one Indiana border county. Point is, this proposal won't just hit the Hoosiers going to work, it will affect Chicagoans as well. Though perhaps for some in the Indiana legislature, soaking Illinois drivers is a feature, not a flaw.
Illinoisans know that once you start with the tolls you don't quit. It's easy money. Illinois tolls jump frequently; last year, the charge to use the Chicago Skyway increased to $7.20 from $6.60 in 2023.
No doubt the Indiana politicians pushing for more tolls are eyeing all of those trucks passing through the 'Crossroads of America,' along with the other drivers heading to Chicago, Ohio, Michigan or just about anywhere except Indiana. The state's Legislative Services Agency estimates this tool-expansion bill could generate $4.2 billion in the first five years after implementation.
It's worth noting that it's already very costly to drive on Indiana roads. In a recent Lending Tree study on state toll costs, Indiana ranks 22nd, not far behind Illinois at 17th. But Indiana is home to the fourth-highest bridge and tunnel fees in the U.S. Indiana also ranks eighth-highest for its average maximum passenger vehicle fee on non-interstate bridges and tunnels, charging $7.03 per mile, while Illinois ranks 13th with a fee of $3.67 per mile.
Tolls aren't the only costly burden Indiana residents are facing. Hoosiers are seeing their property taxes rapidly rise as well. The Indianapolis metro area experienced the largest percentage increase in property taxes, with homeowners paying a median of $205 per month—an increase of nearly 67% compared with 2019, according to a Redfin real estate analysis. Chicago, with all of its problems, didn't crack the Top 15 on Redfin's list of biggest property tax increases, though homeowners here of course still pay far more in property taxes than Indianans.
So it turns out that Indiana residents are getting squeezed, too, with the push to increase tolling being just the latest cash grab.
Indiana, take some advice from us: Don't mess with the tolls. Learn from Illinois' mistakes. When our misadventures in highway tolling began in the 1950s, lawmakers told us we'd be 'Toll Free in '73.' Fifty-two years later, tolls are higher than ever, and there's no talk of eliminating them.
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