Load up your I-Pass. The Skyway toll is about to go up to $5.60 per car.
Driving in Chicagoland is stressful enough with disgruntled drivers, excessive horn usage, and people “parking” by turning their safety lights in the middle of the road. Well, one more nuisance is about to make road rage in Chicago just a little worse. Starting in 2020, the Skyway toll will increase to $5.60 per 2 axel car.
While 30 cents might not seem like a major hike now, the new toll is a more drastic increase compared to what it was when the City of Chicago leased the Skyway in 2005. Back then the toll was only $2! The Skyway’s lease to a private vendor was the first of many controversial privatization deals made by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley and the first of its kind in the country.
If you have a vehicle with more than two axels, such as large vans, commercial trucks, or cars towing boats, the price will be even more. Vehicles with 3 axles will experience a one dollar price hike and 4 axle cars will have to pay $1.30 more.
The Skyway will continue to accept cash, credit, and I-Pass, so you can still begrudgingly pass through toll lanes as usual, just with a larger price tag. Oh, the joys of privatization.
Find out more about the toll increase on the Skyway’s website.