In Illinois, they decided a couple of years ago to refurbish them and tore them all down to the ground, at about the same time. I think "they" let all of the contracts out to one small firm which has kept most of them closed but promises to have them all up and running by next summer. Having lost millions of dollars in oasis revenue and alienated and inconvenienced tens of thousands of travelers, they figured it was time to double the tolls, for those paying cash, in just a few weeks.

In the 1950s, when Illinois first was building those roads (modeled on the autobahn of Germany), the state was operating under a 60-year-old constitution (which actually had some provision for horse watering troughs, hardly the stuff of constitutions). That constitution also mandated a certain debt ceiling for the state. They got around that (until a new state constitution could be written and ratified a mere decade and a half later - never let Illinois be accused of being efficient) by setting up a public corporation to sell bonds and build roads. Somewhere they lost sight of the fact that a lot of people thought that the road bonds were supposed to be paid off. The State Tollway Authority continues to continue, repairing the toll roads, expanding them and building new ones.

One of the selling points of the promoters, I am told, was that if the city was in danger of nuclear attack, that everyone could get out before the bombs went off. If you have ever been in rush hour traffic near the cities, you know how amazingly mistaken that notion is. In such a situation, one might just as well climb up on the car roof, start a pinochle game and watch the light show. ;)

They are trying to make the toll roads more efficient with these electronic scanners that bill passing cars at the toll plazas. The state will permit drivers to contribute, in advance, to $40 accounts to pay for those billings. Costs for toll collectors (and pensions) may indeed be cut in these days of governmental belt-tightening. They do allow people to overcharge (think of the times when you couldn't find the right change or discovered your wallet was still on the dresser) since the accounts are attached to credit cards.

People paying cash will be charged a much higher rate. Truckers' costs will increase several times, ostensibly to pay for the wear and tear those much larger vehicles generate.

The auto-payment system is also a way to bust scofflaws who sail through without paying. Cameras are installed. Several thousand people were staggered to get bills (and penalties) for hundreds and even thousands of unpaid tolls. Several acquaintances are a little nervous about state computers figuring out how fast they are actually driving from toll plaza to toll plaza in a culture where 55 mph speed limits mean drive at least 70 mph so you don’t get run over. The oil exporting countries are grateful to all those drivers. As for avoiding speeding tickets, that is where breaks at the Oasis come in.

One does get across some pretty densely populated areas in a relatively short time and so people put up with the tolls. I think the cronyism and whispers of improper behavior could be more easily tolerated if it weren't for the stupidity of things like closing the entire oasis system at once and leaving them down.

By the time you get here Miskairal, most of them should be open. Above ground, they should be nicer than the old ones were. Fish-heads have long used them to rendezvous with others while on the way to a fish show or meeting.

Humm... I've earned at least a 15-yard penalty for carrying on and maybe a delay of list penalty for ranting. ;)