Illinois
Bell tolls? Illinois Tollway tears out last booths, ending age of paying with change
Gone are the days of stashing coins in your car for highway toll booths, the last vestige of a 60-year period when drivers could stop to deposit change or hand over cash.
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority tore out its last physical booth along the southern section of Interstate 294 this summer, more than four years after the agency stopped using booths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s left some former toll collectors nostalgic for the time when they could offer customer service in person.
“Whatever [customers] needed, we had it,” said Clovia Lockridge, who collected tolls from 2012 until the system went dormant in March 2020, amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
Lockridge remembers helping customers with directions, maps and even replacement Velcro for toll transponders, free of charge.
“Not only were we sticking our hands out collecting tolls, we were the face of the tollway,” said Lockridge, 44, who usually worked at Plaza 43 in the south suburbs.
Crews remove tollbooths and the concrete barriers at Illinois Tollway Plaza 41 on southbound I-294, near 163rd Street, in Markham, Friday, June 28, 2024.
Now tollway drivers must use an I-Pass or, if they are traveling from out of state and don’t use a compatible E-ZPass, must pay online or get a bill in the mail.
“The world is a little colder without human contact options,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a DePaul University professor and veteran researcher on transportation issues.
The shift to all-electronic tolling is the latest move to automate more aspects of transportation. Bus company Greyhound recently stopped accepting cash. Metra last year closed its ticketing windows, leaving commuters to use either an app or vending machines.
The Illinois Tollway stopped using toll booths in 2020 and made the move permanent a year later. Now the agency is removing the concrete barriers that divided the booths at plazas and on ramps, creating a fully open road toll system.
“The tollway is now an all-electronic, or cashless system. That means we don’t need a lot of this infrastructure,” Illinois Tollway chief engineering officer Manar Nashif said in an interview.
The tollway hasn’t decided what to do with the toll booth lanes.
“Right now, we’re just focused on removing that infrastructure,” Nashif said.
The Illinois Tollway first opened to traffic in 1958, envisioned as a bypass around the urban core of Chicago, according to a tollway history.
When the system opened, the six toll plazas along the Tri-State charged 30 cents each. The original system also included the Northwest Highway, now called the Jane Addams Memorial, and East-West Tollway, now the Reagan Memorial.
A 1958 job notice in the Chicago Sun-Times said the Tollway Authority was looking to employ 80 men, age 24 or older, as toll collectors. Pay started at $3,900 a year.
Over decades, the agency expanded to operate more than 290 miles of tollway in 12 counties.
An I-88 driver antes up at the Oak Brook Plaza in the western suburb in May 2011.
Rich Hein/Sun-Times file photo
Tollways nationwide began going cashless about two decades ago as toll authorities embraced transponder technology.
Cashless lanes can handle at least five times as many cars as tollbooth lanes, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Electronic tolling also cuts down on emissions from cars that would otherwise stop to pay tolls. It’s cheaper, too, with about $135,000 in annual savings per lane versus manual collection, according to the same report.
“For large systems like Illinois, this is a godsend,” said Mark Muriello, vice president of policy and government affairs at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. “This really speeds people along.”
About two-thirds of tollways in America are now electronic-only, Muriello said.
The pandemic accelerated the shift to all-electronic tolling. The Illinois Tollway, which began open road tolling in 2005, almost immediately shifted to all-electronic tolling during the pandemic.
Crews remove tollbooths and the concrete barriers at Illinois Tollway Plaza 41 on southbound I-294, near 163rd Street, in Markham last month.
Nashif said when the pandemic hit, most Illinois tollway users were already I-Pass users.
“This is a natural way that we’ve been headed,” he said.
The shift to cashless tolling has had consequences for out-of-state travelers.
“As someone who travels across the United States in rental cars, it’s daunting,” Schwieterman said. “Do I need to download an app? Or bring my own pass? It’s very tricky.”
Cashless tolling has also left toll collectors in the lurch.
When the Illinois Tollway went all cashless in 2020, it reassigned its toll collectors as customer service representatives. The tollway still employs nearly 150 of them but has plans to lay them off at the end of August.
SEIU Local 73, which represents the tollway workers, is negotiating the layoffs with Illinois Tollway in the hopes it will change its mind about outsourcing the call-taker jobs to a nonprofit organization.
Lockridge, one of the former toll collectors and a member of the union bargaining committee, said customer service will take a hit if she and her co-workers are laid off.
“If you know a toll collector, you know they are dedicated,” Lockridge said, “It’s something that’s in their heart. It’s something they’ve always done.”
Illinois
Illinois Wesleyan to Launch First-of-its-Kind Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Quantum Science and Engineering Program
Fisher Center for Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering positions Illinois
as a leader in next generation quantum education
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University today announced the creation of the Fisher Center for
Interdisciplinary Quantum Science & Engineering, a first-of-its-kind undergraduate
program that brings together multiple areas of study to better prepare students for
careers in this emerging field.
The Fisher Quantum Center will make Illinois Wesleyan the first undergraduate liberal
arts university in the United States to offer an interdisciplinary quantum program,
positioning both the University and the state as leaders in the quantum space.
The Fisher Quantum Center is supported by a founding gift from Ann ‘82 and Alan Fisher,
providing the resources to establish the center and launch programming. Ann is a graduate
of Illinois Wesleyan University and serves on the university’s Board of Trustees.
The Fisher Quantum Center is designed to grow in phases and will expand its curriculum,
facilities, and partnerships over time.
“The Fisher Quantum Center represents a defining step forward as the first undergraduate
interdisciplinary quantum program. Quantum is reshaping industries and the way we
solve complex problems, and this complexity is an ideal fit with Illinois Wesleyan’s
cross-curricular approach to undergraduate education. We are especially grateful to
Ann and Alan Fisher for their generous gift that is making this distinctive program
possible,” said Illinois Wesleyan University President Sheahon J. Zenger.
What is Quantum?
Quantum science studies how matter and energy behave at the smallest scale, where
the differences can be used to create new, more powerful technologies. Because of
this, quantum has a wide variety of real-world applications and is poised to transform
everyday lives and revolutionize industries ranging from computing and cybersecurity
to healthcare, finance, and agriculture.
Most quantum programs are primarily offered at the graduate level and focus on a single
area of study. The Fisher Quantum Center takes a fundamentally different approach
by focusing exclusively on undergraduate education and bringing together physics,
chemistry, computer science, mathematics, biology, business, philosophy, and engineering
into one holistic curriculum. Instead of separating these fields and narrowing the
focus, it connects them to better reflect the broad applications of quantum. This
first-of-its-kind approach prepares students not only with the technical skills for
these emerging careers, but with an understanding of the economic, ethical, environmental,
and societal implications of quantum technologies.
and instrumental performance (euphonium). He has also conducted research on the ethical
implications of quantum computing.
Students will be able to engage with quantum in multiple ways, including through individual
courses, certificates, concentrations, hands-on experiments, projects, faculty-mentored
research, and internships. The Fisher Quantum Center is designed to be flexible, inclusive,
and accessible to undergraduate students from all areas of study to create a gateway
into quantum for students who might not otherwise encounter the field. It will also
serve as hub for visiting scholars, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty to collaborate
on strengthening undergraduate quantum laboratories and infrastructure.
“We are proud to support the creation of the Fisher Quantum Center and the unique
opportunity it creates for students coming to Illinois Wesleyan. The Fisher Quantum
Center will open the door for students from many different backgrounds to engage with
quantum in a way that is accessible and better prepares them for future careers. We
are excited to see how this program grows and the impact it will have on Illinois
Wesleyan students, the university, and the broader community,” said Ann and Alan Fisher.
The first courses through the Fisher Quantum Center will be available in Spring 2027,
alongside enhanced quantum lab space, with programming expanding throughout the year.
Beyond the classroom, the Fisher Quantum Center will support outreach initiatives
to engage high school teachers and students to strengthen pathways into quantum and
STEM fields. Beginning in Summer 2026, Illinois Wesleyan will host a fully funded
Quantum Day Camp for high school STEM teachers and counselors from surrounding counties,
with a residential Quantum Camp for high school students anticipated for Summer 2027.
“The Fisher Quantum Center represents a first-of-its-kind program that will create
new opportunities for students to engage with quantum across disciplines while preparing
them for the high-quality jobs of the future. Quantum technology is already shaping
the future of the global economy, and Illinois is positioning itself as a global leader.
To compete, we need to continue building a strong workforce pipeline, and Illinois
Wesleyan is playing a critical role by giving students the skills and training needed
to fill these emerging jobs and help keep Illinois at the forefront of innovation,”
said Gov. JB Pritzker.
At a time when Illinois is emerging as a national hub for quantum innovation, the
Fisher Quantum Center will play a critical role in developing the next generation
of talent, expanding awareness of quantum careers and opportunities, and ensuring
the state remains competitive in this rapidly evolving field.
“Developing the next generation of talent is essential to maintaining Illinois’ momentum
in quantum,” said Illinois Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Christy George. “Illinois Wesleyan’s new program creates opportunities for students in high demand
fields while helping build the workforce pipeline Illinois industries need. The Fisher
Center reflects the forward-thinking approach that has helped position Illinois as
a growing hub for quantum innovation and emerging technologies.”
For more information about the Fisher Quantum Center, visit www.iwu.edu/fisher-quantum-center.
Illinois Senate Democrats are trying to impose limits on artificial intelligence, or AI, in the final weeks of the legislative session.
The proposed package of eight different bills would target specific areas impacted by the emerging technology, including its effects on mental health and the usage of AI in schools.
State Sen. Bill Cunningham said because Congress has not put much regulation around AI, state lawmakers feel they have to step into the void.
“Artificial intelligence, or AI, can be a powerful tool for good, but currently there are minimal guardrails in place. It’s like the wild, wild west. Illinois needs to create a roadmap for responsible innovation to prevent catastrophic risks. And that is why we are all here today,” said State Sen. Mary Edly-Allen.
Edly-Allen’s proposal, which passed out of committee Wednesday and now heads to the full Senate, aims to increase transparency from big AI companies like ChatGPT and Claude. It would require large companies to make annual reports explaining what they are doing to prevent what lawmakers call “catastrophic risks.”
If a company learns about a critical safety incident, it has to report it within 72 hours, or 24 hours if the incident poses a serious risk of harm or death.
Another bill, led by Sen. Laura Ellman, aims to address the growing number of young people turning to AI during a mental health crisis, specifically people who confide in a chatbot about their suicidal thoughts. AI companies would have to implement methods to detect self harm and refer the user to a resource, such as the suicide hotline.
Other bills try to crack down on AI being used to fix rent prices, curb someone’s data from being used for targeted ads or sold to third parties, ban teachers from using AI to grade a student’s work and cut down on bots scooping up tickets to concerts and sports.
The current legislative session is set to end on May 31, with lawmakers working to pass a host of bills before that date arrives.
IKEA announces new locations opening for 2026
IKEA revealed plans to open 10 new stores in various U.S. cities by 2026 as part of its expansion strategy.
The Chicago metro area is getting its first Dutch Bros cafe this week, with additional Illinois locations set to open later this year.
The West Coast coffee chain announced the openings in a press release Wednesday, May 13, adding details about available freebies.
Dutch Bros coming to Melrose Park
Dutch Bros will be making its Chicago suburbs debut in Melrose Park, with doors set to open Thursday, May 14, at 1931 N. Mannheim Road.
The cafe will operate from 5 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Melrose Park customers will be able to snag a free keychain with any drink purchase on opening day, while supplies last, according to the chain.
“Opening in the Chicago area has always been a dream for us at Dutch Bros, and Melrose Park is just the beginning,” Dutch Bros Local Market Lead Allie Lahti said in the release.
Where else is Dutch Bros opening locations in Illinois?
The chain also announced plans to open cafes in Rockford, New Lenox and Buffalo Grove, with locations slated to open this summer. The chain lists the Rockford location as “coming soon” to 7103 E. State St. on its website.
Meanwhile, job listings for “Broistas” at 550 W. Maple St. in New Lenox and 80 McHenry Road in Buffalo Grove are available for applicants on the site.
But that’s not all.
A spokesperson for the Village of Oak Park told NBC News Chicago the chain “is also in the process of opening a location in Oak Park” at 316 Madison St.
The village approved plans for the new location in October 2025, and the chain told NBC the cafe is still “in the very early stages.”
Peoria City Councilman Alex Carmona told the Journal Star in April that a new Dutch Bros location will be built at the busy intersection of University Street and War Memorial Drive.
Construction is set to kick off in May at 3624 N. University St., with the location slated to open in the fall.
The Peoria Journal Star reached out to Dutch Bros about the upcoming Illinois locations and will update this story accordingly if a response is provided.
List of Dutch Bros locations in Illinois
The coffee chain has five existing locations in the following Illinois cities:
CONTRIBUTING: JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star
-
Kentucky5 minutes agoKentucky Newsmakers 5/17: Congressional candidate Erin Petrey; Visit Lex President Mary Quinn Ramer
-
Louisiana11 minutes agoLive Results: Louisiana midterm state and congressional primaries
-
Maine17 minutes agoMaineHealth Maine Medical conference highlights trauma care challenges
-
Maryland23 minutes agoMargie’s Intention Repeats Maryland Magic in DuPont
-
Michigan29 minutes agoPolice release 911 calls and video connected to fatal shooting of Michigan State student
-
Massachusetts35 minutes agoPublic asked to attend funeral services for Massachusetts World War II veteran with no known family
-
Minnesota41 minutes agoMinnesota honors 314 fallen officers in solemn St. Paul ceremony
-
Missouri53 minutes agoCrews safely remove individual from house fire Friday in Kansas City, Missouri