In 2009, Chicago was tied for the worst commute. Although it’s dropped overall to second place, Chicago residents are still No. 1 in terms of the cost of congestion per auto commuter. The Texas survey calculates that cost to be some $1,568 per year.
One of the biggest issues is aging infrastructure, according to Beth Mosher of AAA Chicago. “All these people are driving on roads bandaged for 50 years. What the roads need is a complete overhaul,” she says.
For example, I-294 (a toll road) and I-57 overlap, but people can’t switch from one highway to another without making a series of time-consuming moves, says Ms. Mosher.
Another example is I-90, which takes commuters to and from the northwestern suburbs. That road is 50 years old, Mosher says, and in need of a complete rehab.
The good news, she says, is that the Illinois Tollway Board recently agreed to spend $12 billion over the next 15 years to maintain, overhaul, and expand the highway system. An interchange will be built connecting the I-294 and the I-57, saving commuters $4 million annually in fuel.
In addition, I-90 will be expanded to accommodate another 30,000 cars per day, which will cut an average of 25 minutes off the daily commute. “That’s a real time savings,” says Mosher.
