Illinois threatens Hoosiers’ discounts

HAMMOND, Ind.– The state of Illinois is again threatening to stop giving Hoosier drivers a 50 percent discount when using electronic passes on Illinois tollways if Indiana doesn’t reciprocate.\nAs it stands, Indiana drivers with I-Zoom transponders that electronically deduct tolls from preset accounts get the same half-off discount Illinois drivers receive on that state’s roads. But the Illinois Tollway Authority on Thursday approved terminating the accounts of 90,000 Indiana residents who use its I-PASS transponders if a resolution with the Indiana Toll Road is not found.\nOfficials with the Indiana Toll Road originally said they would not offer Illinois residents the same 40 percent discount cars and motorcycles users of I-Zoom will receive.\nElectronic tolling is set to begin in mid-June on the first 23 miles of the Indiana Toll Road, from the Illinois border to Portage. No discounts initially will be offered to drivers, according to ITR Concession Co., the private firm that has a 75-year lease to operate the toll road.\nThe discounts will start when electronic tolling is available on the entire 157-mile stretch of highway. That was expected by the end of the year, said Matt Pierce, ITR’s director of communications and government relations.\nThe Tollway Authority, ITR and officials from the Indiana Finance Authority and Indiana Department of Transportation offered a compromise Wednesday. Under it, only drivers using I-Zoom would automatically receive a discount 40 percent below the cash toll. Drivers using Illinois’ I-Pass and E-ZPass would be required to sign up on a Web site, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.\nIllinois officials said that was not acceptable.\n“We don’t want our I-PASS customers to have to jump through any hoops,” said Illinois toll authority chairman John Mitola. “We are just asking that a fair and equal discount be applied.”\nIndiana officials think the offer is fair.\n“I cannot fathom why the Illinois tollway would pull the discounts for Indiana residents because we require someone to sign up on a Web site and check a box,” said Joe Gustin, deputy commissioner at the Indiana Department of Transportation.