The state’s transportation chief lays out what is—and isn’t—included in his vision for the future of transportation in Illinois.

In the shorter term, Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn favors implementing high-occupancy toll lanes in parts of Illinois, meaning you can be charged less in tolls for having more passengers in your car.

What isn’t included, at least for now, is the proposed Illiana tollway connecting I-57 and I-55 with I-65 in Indiana. Even though Blankenhorn had been against the project when he was executive director at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, he’s willing to reconsider it in his new role.

He says the project isn’t officially dead, just suspended.
In other state news, the gas station could be a “no whining zone” these days, if the September AAA Fuel Gauge Report is any indication.

The national average is $2.42 per gallon, and the state average is $2.65 a gallon. Chicago stations average $3.19, and Downstate ranges from $2.23 in Bloomington-Normal to $2.56 in Rockford and on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities.