State

Illinois Tollway permanently eliminates cash payments

The days of paying cash on the Illinois Tollway are gone forever

Drivers pass through the River Road Toll Plaza July 28 in Rosemont. On Thursday the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors approved a plan that will nearly double tolls to pay for a $12 billion capital plan.

CHICAGO — (AP) — The days of paying cash on the Illinois Tollway are gone forever.

The tollway announced Thursday it is permanently eliminating cash toll collections and will accept only I-Pass, E-ZPass or online payments. Customers unable to pay online can pay by check or money order.

The move comes nearly a year after the tollway suspended cash tolls in mid-March because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The tollway also said it will begin a program in May to help low-income drivers by waiving deposits on I-PASS transponders and adding $20 in tolls to people with household incomes up to 2 1/2 times the poverty line.

“We remain committed to helping the state’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19," tollway Executive Director José Alvarez said.

More than 92% of toll payments in 2019 used I-Pass or E-ZPass and that number has grown during the pandemic, the tollway said.

The tollway lets drivers who don’t use I-Pass and E-ZPass to pay within 14 days or risk a $3 fine for passenger vehicles.