Flat out wrong. It's an extra hour in and out if you're coming from the east (why would you get on the skybridge if you weren't? ). Literally google any city on the lake and select both routes and see what it gives you.
@@a.k8069 bullshit ti saves you 8 miles and by normal traffic around 10 minutes. Maybe the 94 is more named but google maps is usually pretty accurate
Your an idiot. Chicago's crooked politicians pocket most of the money for social programs; not to mention no one wants to pay for bums. Secondly that's the only direct route to get to work on time in Chicago if you live in Indiana. You don't want to pay mor than what's needed.
The Chicago Skyway is the WORST stretch of Highway in the city and that’s saying a lot!! Imagine paying $6 to drive on a highway filled with the worst potholes you’ve ever seen. God help you if you’re towing a trailer.
Also, if they are so concerned about not having money go to their state, maybe they should move into the state they work in. They are using Chicago infestructure.
Jesse Huber Indiana is sucking Illinois economy dry and we're just letting em too. I think we need to show tough love to Indiana because if we keep satisfying their demands while they leech off our economy, Illinois will be the new armpit of the midwest. Indiana is a fucking boring ass shithole. Why do you think they bloodsuck from our economy so much?
David MacKay well its fair. Illinois makes indiana make the indiana dunes (A place where people lived but were forced to move out), they make them build the skyway.
Well, demolishing buildings in the hearts of cities, segregating them, for some highways, is pretty much the opposite of trying to solve traffic. Building more roads never solves any urban planning issue.
@@lEGOBOT2565 He's talking about induced demand, that is, when you make something more appealing then more people use it. In every case of building more roads to reduce traffic congestion fails. Building more roads with more lanes just results in more traffic, not more throughput.
The Ontario P.C Conserative Government sold the 407 in the 90's. The 407 toll is now the most expensive toll on the world. Sold to an out of country company. Your debt will never be erased, even in your death. 100 years after you die your debt will accumulate interest. Selling public infrastructure should be illegal.
it depends of the context and what infrastructure are we talking about . For example here in south america corruption is the daily bread, and correct privatizations are beneficial in many cases .
@@EPK123 there is no such thing as correct privatization. It's short gain and long term disaster for the public. They only benefitiaries are the handful of people receiving the revenues, usually private equity.
Honestly, I'm glad the city of Chicago sold the skyway to investment bankers. Anything to see suburbanites pay for mooching off of cities. That's essentially why Indiana built a highway there, so that they'd get some tax revenue from Chicagoans moving to the Indiana burbs.
I do too. I-80 to the Dan Ryan. I'm from Wisconsin, where we don't have to pay to drive on our roads. And I'm damned if I'll pay 5 bucks to cross some damned Calumet Drainage Ditch.
Channels like this are the reason that i love Internet. Enjoyed the story of this skyway. I like to learn about different cities, their history, planning, architecture, adopting modern infrastructure, this video was just perfect. Sub from India.
I always love telling the fun fact that it it is technically not a toll road, as was mentioned in the video. It is a toll bridge with a several-mile long approach road. The city's charter allowed the city government to build toll bridges, but did not permit it to build toll roads. So they built a "toll bridge" instead.
@7:29 well those same indiana drivers should have thouɡht about that before double crossinɡ Chicaɡo when buildinɡ their hiɡhway. They caused the problem and now they are payinɡ for it.
The whole highway 407 in Toronto was privatized in late 1990s to cut taxes... It was intended to be a bypass of the very-congested 401, but now it is considered a luxury
As someone who lives in indiana we do every fucking thing imaginable to avoid that god damn bridge, its expensive, backed up, and a pain in my ass. 80/94 is the way to go even if its slow. Five dollars is horseshit!
Here in Chile a large portion of the highways are private-operated, most importantly the main routes like Panamerican Route 5 North and South, Route 68 (Valparaíso - Viña del Mar / Santiago), Autopista del Sol (Route 78, Santiago - San Antonio) and the expressways within Santiago. And even if the prices are someway high, there are positive things. First, the routes are well maintain and with a lot of improvements like new bridges, the incorporation of the Televia TAG system (like the E-ZPass) outside the capital, and mostly safe travel across the country. Also allows the government to invest in non-profitable projects to connect the country, like the Carretera Austral (Route 7) and to connect many small cities and towns with the rest of the country. The only thing I would like to improve is the connection between my city (Valparaíso) and Santiago even with more lanes in Route 68 or another mass transit system (high-speed train) because constant traffic jams in weekends, long holidays and New Year's Eve.
In a parallel fund-raising move, in 2008 the Richard M. Daley administration signed a 75-year, $1.15 billion dollar lease of the city's parking meters to an international consortium (which I'd like to think includes Somali pirates).
Used the Skyway constantly while traveling between Chicagoland and Ohio. One thing also, the Dan Ryan and 90/94 to Gary are severely congested and are in poor condition. Using the Skyway was quicker, easier on the car, and had some great views of the lake.
I’m grateful I bumped into this video. This is something I’ve tried to explain to people and they just don’t get it. Yes, in a nutshell, We are being detained and fleeced by highway robbers. The roads are ours, We built them, we pay for them. And for absolutely no reason whatsoever, we are forced to pay and outside entity to pass. #TrollBridge should be a thing. It’s also interesting to note that if you don’t pay a toll to this outside entity for nothing in return, Our police will ticket you. Basically, running a toll is theft. 😳🙄🤦🏽♀️
I'm from Chicago and I have always felt an immense sense of joy getting on the Skyway to go east on a road trip! There's just something about it, especially at night....crossing the big letters (not paying, of course)....the view. Maybe it's in my head...idk lol Anyway, interesting video!! Love the skyway, love many things about Chicago, but the corruption and being charged for everything is something else!
reminds me of Hwy 407 in Ontario, leased to a foreign company for 99 years. one of the most expensive toll road in north America, where its like 45 cents per kilometer, plus 1 dollar trip charge and 4.10 camera charge, and all the administration fees. And Ontario government help them collect toll by denying plate renewal to anyone who doesnt pay the 407 toll. Not even mentioning their crazy interest rate and don't even send you the bills sometime until many years later with thousands of dollars on interest rate.(just google search 407 plate denial)
you should also note that ontario government decided to sale the profit making portion of the nuclear power plants while the public having to pay for the maintenance and liabilities.
Chicago is one of the most mismanaged corrupt cities in the United States. Chicago has sold off public housing, parking meters, hyway billboards, red light tickets, Chicago Skyway and has subcontracted out many city services. They even tried to lease off Midway Airport. Where did all these Billions go? It has been spent that we do know. These Shenanigans leases have only resulted in poorer services and higher rates. Real Estate Taxes are going up 8% to cover the budget gap. These leases are effectively a sale because they last for decades.
David Ferrer The Billards are on public property. The City went Nuts over these electronic billboards and put a moratorium against them on private property. During Johnson Administration 50 yrs. ago they tried to get rid of Billards along the Hyways. Nothing sez Chicago better than a Big gaudy flashing billboard. m.chicagoreader.com/chicago/digital-billboards-signs-expressways-rahm-alderman-fioretti/Content?oid=10525399
Meno Passini Tell me about it!! We are probably one of the most taxed cities in the country; we even have an entertainment tax, but where does all this money go? We're still broke and half of Chicago is falling apart.
Great episode as usual! I'd be interested in your take on a similar 99-year deal done in the last days of the R.M. Daley administration to lease the parking meters to a private investment company. It has been very controversial here in Chicago.
I live in Chicago (and am car-free) and I think the Skyway is great. Whenever we have rented a car to take a trip through Indiana it has always been at least 30 minutes faster than going around the Skyway. With a full carload that is only $1 a person. That is totally worth it. Also tolls help drivers to see that driving and road building are not free. Assigning a price to driving gives people incentive to consider other options to solo driving (which also helps reduce congestion for others who are driving on the road). There are a bunch of options to commute from Chicago from SE Chicago and NW Indiana. You can take the Chicago Dash buses from Valparaiso, the South Shore Line, or the Metra Electric.
We don't necessarily have to full on privatize other highways but I do think we will need to find some way to toll highways fairly and effectively. Everyone pays to ride the bus, take an airplane, and many other things. We should also pay to use roads. Our highways are crowded and crumbling. With more tolls we can help to pay for them and also encourage people not to clog up the highways during rush hour. Great channel BTW. Just discovered your cool videos.
i live in valpo, you cant survive without a car here, and that bus is terrible, it never runs. The south shore is ill timed, un regular and a 10 mile drive north. I hate driving, and i despise living where i do. I drove 6 damn hours last weekend for work. 6 HOURS. if you work a lucky special schedule yes, you get the privilege of not driving, the rest of us normal people have no choice, so take my hours of driving and the cost of tolls and enjoy every fucking minute you do not spend in a car.
chrisw443 best of luck Chris. I did notice the south shore line is a tad slow. Hopefully the needed improvements get built in the next few years. I hear that they eventually want service between Chicago and South bend in 90 minutes. Maybe things can be improved for the Valparaiso bus. I know pace express bus in the suburbs of Chicago got some improvements by letting them run on the shoulders of expressways.
I see you've been reading Jane Jacobs. Huge inspiration for the field of urban planning, she really introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function, evolve and fail. Great quote in one of her books: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
I could never imagine paying a toll. I drive one state highway, 3 stop signs, 8 miles to my job. I only have 3 STOP LIGHTS in my entire county. The only time I sit at a stop light is when I go to the grocery store every other week. Here in Wisconsin I love it, I never sit in any traffic, EVER..
I love the toll bridge with a passion, solely on a tradition stand point. Whenever my family would go to visit my dad's parents out East, we would always make a point of taking the toll road. The toll booths and the McDonalds were key points in my trips. I loved seeing the neon sign declaring the name of the great stretch of roadway. I never knew it could be so expensive (probably cause I wasn't the one paying the tolls), and I will forever miss the McDonalds. I know that it'd be impossible to convince them to bring it back, it makes clear financial sense to get rid of it, but I'll miss it.
Honestly if I were Chicago in the 1950s and they built that highway without me knowing I would have just built a giant culdesac on their highway turning those commuters right back to Indiana just to get back at them
Toll roads appear to be making a comeback. The recently opened Inter-County connector (MD Rt.200) in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC (think “outer beltway”) is a toll road, and there are plans afoot for other toll routes or lanes. The new wrinkle is there are no toll booths. If you don’t have an EZ-Pass module you get a bill in the mail a month or so after you use the road. The annoying part is that the bill is worded like a violation, as if you had run a toll booth 😡
There's been many times heading home to Reston on the Dulles Toll Road I forgot to bring money or change. Like clock work that letter comes in the mail with an amazing picture of my car and license plate.
Road concessions are extremely common here in Brazil. Normally, highways managed by private companies have better maintenance, safety, and rescue services. In addition, road concessions are able to unlock many investments in local infrastructure, such as road duplication, bridges, and tunnels.
I used to live in Illinois and drove the skyway a couple times. It did feel kind of exciting and 1950s futuristic to pass through the gate and travel down this long swooping bridge. I recall being able to drive relatively quickly compared to the Eisenhower, etc, as there were fewer blockages from people getting on/off exits.
😃😎😊😂, to your avatar photo; joking aside, Gary, Indiana is a beautiful city...at least from what I can see in phtos/videos on RU-vid. I have never traveled to the Midwest or Western part of the US of A.
Almost all of Sydney's motorways are tolled, with 135km worth of tolled road. Over 75% of these tolled motorways are privately owned. More private toll motorways are being planned and constructed in Sydney. According to a news article, by 2023, Sydney will have the most toll roads than any city in the world.
Joseph Kwok I too am a sydneysider and the tolling of the m4 has only a made congestion on Victoria rd and Parramatta rd. I think that there should be a toll when travelling in peak hour like London has done. This will influence people to take the train network and bus.
agreed, although motorists should realise that the money paid on the toll does goes towards the construction of the tunnel between m4 and Haberfield, instead of the pockets of Sydney mototway corp
Non-highway roads should not have tolls or "peak" fees as this undermines their primary purpose of direct access to property. Nobody is entitled to any particular level of convenience, so if there is traffic, it is what it is and individuals can find alternate behaviors on their own. Putting a toll on "Oak Street" is almost like putting a toll on somebody's driveway.
Investigate the Cline Avenue Bridge in East Chicago Indiana. The Cline extension was put in by the state and after just a few years of operation the bridge failed. What no one else tell the taxpayers is why the engineering design firm or contractors were not responsible for replacing the bridge. Now a private company put a smaller bridge up and it is a toll bridge. Taxpayers paid for that once, we shouldn't have to pay for it again.
I’ve used the Skyway only if there’s been major accidents on the I-80 and 94. Other than that, it’s actually a scenic route as well especially seeing the Chicago skyline from Indiana.
Fantastic video, I grew up where the skyway enters Chicago. I always thought the sale of the Skyway was a horrible move by then Mayor Daley, but this video gave a great insight into its history and sale. Thank you
Well the worst part about it isn’t even the price... I commute from Hyde park to the I-57 suburbs. The first thing I notice once I’m on the highway is that the I-90 ramp takes 2 full lanes and no one really goes that way. The already congested traffic on the local lanes has to fit in 2 lanes and constantly deal with people cutting in lane.
I’m surprised they haven’t gone to the latest tollway trends, like having electronic billing by reading license plate registration and variable rates based on the amount of traffic on the skyway. Dallas has traffic sensors that will change the toll price based on how heavy or light it is on nearby non-toll roads. I’m not sure if they raise or lower the toll during rush hours. It could be lower if no one is using the toll road, thus enticing drivers to jump on the toll road to relieve non-toll road congestion. It could be the opposite, forcing drivers to pay big for the convenience of bypassing some traffic. I’m not much of a toll road user.
It may not be the best road, but when I am heading back to Milwaukee from my parents' house in Indiana, there is nothing more beautiful than the view from the Skyway Bridge of all the Chicago city lights. Also, the amount of traffic you avoid on the Borman-Kingery expressway (80/94) makes the toll a bargain at twice the price.
All interstate and limited access highways should be fully privatized. Toll roads, redevelopment, farm land, drag strips, whatever the new owners want to do with them.
This is an interesting story and you've told it well. As a Chicago resident I will say this; from downtown to I80 is much quicker than 94 especially during certain times of day. If you take Lake Shore Dr and connect via Mlk drive your there. But the real bonus is the very scenic drive both leaving and coming. Out bound You pass through Jackson park, U of C and museum campuses and soon to be Obama Library. . Upon entry you see the Magnificence of the city. Especially at night. It is electrifying and worth the five dollar toll. I might suggest you do a video on the privatization metered parking in Chicago. 👍
In Australia the private toll roads within the cities often have contract clauses to limit the construction and/or operation of parallel (ie competing) roads and public transport. A variant on this is the private rail line that goes to Sydney Airport but only one bus route goes to the airport. The public trains run to the airport but there is an “access” surcharge of about $10 that goes to the private firm that runs the stations.
Daily also leased out the parking meters and parking garages. Also from all 3 of these almost all the money is gone and the city wont get any revenue from any of these 3 for the next 60 years. He also tried the same with Midway.
I like the part where because Indiana drivers complained about the toll money being used by Chicago to improve other parts of Chicago and not only the Sky Bridge led the city to sell it to a private entity, who then in turn raised the toll rate on the Indiana drivers. Karma?
6:10 - “It was one of the last toll roads built in the United States...” Clearly our host is unfamiliar with the plethora of toll roads that have been built and expanded in Texas cities over the past 30+ years. The Sam Rayburn Tollway and President George Bush Turnpike in Dallas, the Chisholm Trail Parkway in Fort Worth, TX-130 and TX-45 in Austin, and the Sam Houston Tollway in Houston. this is by no means an exhaustive listing. There are others, both in the afore mentioned cities (some taking the form of “express lanes” with dynamic pricing that run alongside, under, or over the clogged free lanes) as well as in Tyler, El Paso, Brownsville, and more.
Politicians in Florida have an addiction to toll roads because of private interests (Developers buying cheap land and then getting the public to finance the toll road so that the value of their land skyrockets, private equity and banks making a fortune off interest on the bonds taken to build the road, etc.) The tolls in Central Florida are about every 3 to 4 miles and cost about $1.50 each, it's ridiculous.
I agree that the saddest thing for Indiana commuters is that they have to pay such a high toll and it doesn't benefit them in any way. BUT I think the saddest thing for Illinois residents is that now, state officials believe that putting tolls on any new or rebuilt expressway is the antidote for all of our problems. Don't believe me? Look up the following: Illinois 390 (formerly the "Elgin O'Hare Expressway") Interstate 490 (coming soon) Illiana Tollway (New, from I65 to I57) Adlai E. Stevenson (I55, next rebuild to feature tolls) Lake Shore Drive, U S. 41 ("Tolls a good idea!" - Mayor Rahm Emanuel) Time to leave Illinois, I think. Papa has spoken 🐇
I live near Chicago, Illinois currently with my parents. Illinois is a terrible state. When I marry and start a family, I will not be living in Illinois.
After a bit of research found that average daily use is 36k and the price ranges from 5 to 42 USD. If we say then that the average price is 9 usd it will bring in more than 118 million usd a year. Haven't seen the video don't know if they said this. And it's not some private investors its the Canadian pension fund that bought it.
The road owners lease a highway in Ontario called 407etr, they originated that pay scheme here; and don’t have to prove anything. Driving the 407 has some of the highest tolls in North America. The upside is that those monies go to the CPP for my and my children’s retirement. Thanks.
5:21 I've been on that ferry. It connects Galveston Island to Bolivar Peninsula on the Southeastern Texas coast. It's a good place to watch dolphins and look at ships since it crosses the Houston Ship Channel.
LMFAO that Mcdonald's, though i never been inside, it always seemed like such an odd, liminal space. I always thought of it like Prada Marfa installation.
Excellent. I'd be happy to help with research and figures if need be. The HOV (now HOT) lanes have a very interesting history in this area, along with a unique, unofficial ride sharing method known as "slugging".
Oh yeah, I've heard about slugging! I'll let you know if/when I start working on this video. Unfortunately I only produce about one video per month and I've got the next couple of months locked in. (Olympic cities and monorails).
In Virginia, there's a "Dulles Greenway" which is a private toll road built with private funds, and much later than the Chicago Skyway. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_State_Route_267#Dulles_Greenway for a history. It is sure a lot more (percent-wise). Just the short hop to the Loundon County Expressway from the eastern end is $6.65 (or $5.65 EZ Pass [Electronic tolll system]), whereas the entire route of 267 from start to the start of the Greenway is only $3.50. So there are much newer toll roads built in the US.
There is also another Skyway in Metro Manila that run straight to the center of Metro Manila, built in three stages since the late 1990s with the recent Stage 3 completed just this year. It is privatized and owned by a massive conglomerate in the country named San Miguel Corporation, famous for its beer products.
This explains why when I lived there years ago about the time this was published, they deleted the McDonalds in the middle of the Skyway and raised the price to $5. I will not accept that the revenue isn’t even going to the state. They just need to tear the whole thing down if they don’t want it. People are greedy
As a Chicagoland resident, I don't feel sorry for Indiana residents. They're the reason the skyway was built in the first place at the cost of our neighborhoods.
In the state of Queensland in Australia every toll road is owned by a private company so no money from any tolls in Queensland actually go to the state
Here in Texas, tollways are often built under DBOM contracts so the state doesn't have to cough up the initial capital investment. The roads will ultimately (after 50 years, iirc) become state property. Chicago did it backwards.
I want to spam those this dude but this is a good video, in Toronto there were a lot of highway projects that were planned and never built and now the city needs all those roads that were planned, story here is sometimes those infrastructure projects will be needed to be built and it is better to build early while it is possible because building later will be more difficult
I would be angry to learn if my state privatized a public utility or responsibility. A private firm will start introducing hidden fees to increase their profits, which will cause my rates to unnecessarily increase, or will introduce commercialism that increases exponentially, which will impact the quality of the service provided to me.
Richard M Daley inherited a fairly balanced budget in good financial health. He proceeded to destroy the financial health of Chicago, and in order to pay for it then sold off reliable cash-flow generating assets. Now we have dramatic tax increases every year to fill the ever widening hole in the budget. Wild stuff.
A damn shame it had to be private interests, could have been a non-profit corporation using the toll money to help make the roads and rails better. one thing i remember about chicago is how much old infrastructure there is.
Yep, and so the city gets a short term cash infusion, whilst the tolls go to our pension fund among other things. Personally, if I were a Chicagoan I would prefer that money stay and provide a multiplier effect to the local economy though infrastructure improvements, especially mass transit improvements to help maximize the impact of the tollway. Things like express busses and better rail service, not just roads and highways. South/southeastern chicago could probably really use that.
indeed, far too often we think in 3-5 year timeframe, when we should be thinking 20 year timeframe. I'd like it if some elected positions had longer terms
Hoosiers complaining about how their tolls benefit Chicago while crossing the border everyday to work in Chicago. I don’t think the violin I’m playing could get any smaller. It very well could be subatomic.
This is what happens when people consider taxes as evil and to be avoided at all costs. Government instead sells stuff off to get the money they can't get through taxes, and the pubic instead pays even more money to a private company. As they said Indiana commuters were ready to make a legal mess out of this road, so the city took the safe route and offloaded it to someone else.