(The Center Square) – Illinois motorists are paying more in gas taxes, tolls and other fees while encountering closed rest stops, prompting criticism from Americans for Prosperity-Illinois State Director Brian Costin.
In a social media video, Ted Dabrowski said he found multiple closed rest areas while traveling to an event in Effingham and returning north.
“We stop at this rest stop and guess what? No surprise, the building closed,” Dabrowski said.
He said the I-57 Prairie View rest stop was open, but Mainline Station was closed and had been for some time. An Illinois Department of
Transportation worker told him the building’s septic system and air conditioning were not working.
Dabrowski also said the Illini Prairie rest area was open, while other stops along the route were closed.
“Illinois lawmakers are taxing the heck out of us and yet they can’t even keep our public rest stops open,” he said.
Costin said the closures illustrate a broader problem with Illinois’ transportation spending, arguing that the state has failed to deliver improvements that match the additional costs imposed on drivers.
“Where has all that money gone?” Costin said.
Costin pointed to the state’s gas tax, which he said has increased significantly under Gov. J.B. Pritzker, while road conditions have not improved at a comparable rate.
He said Illinois residents should expect better infrastructure when they are paying some of the highest transportation-related taxes and fees in the country.
“We’re not getting our money’s worth,” Costin said.
Costin also criticized the condition and availability of Illinois highway rest areas, many of which are temporarily closed while undergoing renovation or replacement.
“I travel the state’s roads, and you see rest stops closed for what seems like years and years,” he said.
He said lengthy closures add another inconvenience for motorists and argued that maintaining roads, bridges and rest areas should be a priority for state officials.
“The people of Illinois are further inconvenienced by construction lasting seemingly forever on different roads, and the rest stops being closed,” Costin said.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has been undertaking a multiyear effort to renovate, rebuild and replace aging rest areas. Some facilities have been temporarily closed during construction, while others have been permanently shuttered as part of the state’s broader modernization efforts.
Costin argued that the state needs to demonstrate tangible improvements before asking motorists to pay more.
He also criticized recent toll increases and upcoming transportation-related tax increases, saying Illinois continues to increase the cost of driving without adequately addressing infrastructure conditions.
Costin placed responsibility for the state’s transportation spending on Pritzker and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
He said the state’s spending priorities are out of balance and argued that Illinois officials should focus on providing basic services and maintaining infrastructure before increasing taxes and fees.
Costin also criticized Pritzker’s recent affordability messaging, pointing to tax and toll increases as evidence that Illinois residents continue to face rising costs.
“It is shocking to me that this governor can go around with a straight face and tell people he’s making things more affordable,” Costin said.
He said Illinois’ transportation and fiscal challenges ultimately come down to whether taxpayers are seeing a meaningful return on the money they send to state and local governments.
“If he is going to continue to demand that the people of Illinois pay 154 percent more than they were before he came into office, then we need to see the results,” Costin said. “And we’re not seeing the results.”
