Illinois Tollway drivers with unpaid tolls had a reprieve from fines for several years, but they are now set to return, with changes from the pre-pandemic fine program.
In 2020, as the pandemic lockdown kept many residents home, the Illinois Tollway slashed late fees for tolls from $20 to $3, cut existing debts for those with outstanding violations, and created a grace period that waived fines for tolls incurred from early March through late June that year.
But beginning April 1, drivers who fail to pay tolls and then fail to pay late fees could once again face additional $20 fines.
Drivers will have 14 days after missing a toll to pay with no fee. After 30 days, the Tollway will issue an invoice for a $3 fee for passenger vehicles, or between $5 and $15 for commercial vehicles. After 90 days the fee will rise by $5 per missed toll.
If the toll and fees remain unpaid after 120 days, the Tollway will issue a notice of violation and an additional $20 fine. If the toll, fines and fees remain unpaid after 180 days, the debt will go to collections.
One key change from the previous program caps fines at $20. The Tollway used to increase penalties to $50 if fines remained unpaid, but has suspended the escalation.
For drivers who were issued fines between June 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2022, a six-month hold will be placed on further notices, and they will be eligible for a reduction of up to 50% on fees they owe.
Drivers who have outstanding tolls from March to June 2020 will continue to owe only the cost of the toll.
Tollway travelers will have an opportunity to dispute violations including via a hearing. Drivers who qualify for a Tollway assistance program and create an I-Pass account can have fees waived. The assistance program, open to households earning less than 250% of the federal poverty level, or $75,000 for a family of four, also allows drivers to receive free I-Pass transponders.
The Tollway has relied entirely on electronic, cashless tolling since 2020. Some 98% of the 3 million daily toll transactions on the agency’s roadways are paid, Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said.
The Tollway’s 2020 changes created more than $130 million in relief and wiped debt for more than 325,000 drivers, the Tollway said.
But they also came with a “troubling trend of repeat non-compliance in a growing number of customers,” Tollway officials said in a statement. They estimated more than 6 million unpaid toll invoices have gone unpaid — or about 2% of transactions — causing the agency to lose more than $110 million in unpaid tolls.
The Tollway anticipates recovering one-third of the lost money in fees, fines and paid tolls.
sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com
