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Tolled, privatized Illiana Expressway passes committee

A state Senate committee in Indiana has given the nod to turning the proposed Illiana Expressway into a privatized toll road.

Current law prohibits tolling or privatization of the roadway, but lawmakers are hoping to overturn the prohibition with a two-pronged approach making headway in the state House and Senate.

The Illiana Expressway, as currently proposed, is to be a 23-mile state highway built to interstate standards to connect I-65 in Northwest Indiana with I-57 in Illinois south of Chicago. Neither state has chosen an exact route for the roadway, while funding remains an issue for both states.

Indiana state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, and state Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, filed bills earlier this month in their respective chambers to remove the restrictions on tolling and privatization.

Charbonneau’s bill, SB382 , received approval from the Committee on Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs and was referred back to the Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

Dobis’ bill, HB1312 , is being considered by the House Committee on Roads and Transportation.

OOIDA is not categorically opposed to so-called “greenfield” toll roads – new roadways built to add capacity to the highway network – as long as certain conditions are met. The Association does, however, stand against double taxation, diversion and other burdens that toll roads can put on highway users.

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