Tollway Stories & More—2024 Volume 11

Volume 11, 2024

I-PASS Assist Program Wins 2024 IBTTA Toll Excellence And President’s Awards

The Illinois Tollway I-PASS Assist Program won two of the most prestigious awards in the tolling industry: the 2024 Toll Excellence Award in Customer Service and Marketing and the distinguished President’s Award from the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA).

Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse accepted the honors at the IBTTA 92^nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Cleveland. The Toll Excellence Award for Customer Service and Marketing recognizes the transformative impact of I-PASS Assist in making tolling more inclusive and accessible. The President’s Award, IBTTA’s highest recognition, is awarded to the best overall program among all public- and private-sector winners across all seven categories, further spotlighting the game-changing role of I-PASS Assist.

ASCE Illinois Honors LED Lighting Program For Innovation in Sustainability

The Illinois Tollway’s ambitious LED Lighting Program earned the Sustainability in Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Illinois Section.

“This prestigious award showcases the Tollway's commitment to investments in sustainable practices that benefit our customers, our roadway workers and the environment,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “Through our Move Illinois Program, we’re investing in infrastructure that reduces environmental impact, maximizes energy efficiency and embraces innovation. This award illustrates how we’ve transformed an essential function like roadway lighting into a platform for long-term sustainability.”

Future Engineers and Builders Get Close-Up Look At Tollway Facilities And Ongoing Construction

Area high school students pursuing career paths in engineering, construction and heavy machinery took the unique opportunity to tour Illinois Tollway maintenance facilities and ongoing construction projects.

More than 100 sophomores, juniors and seniors from Argo Community High School in Summit, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Maine East High School in Park Ridge and William Howard Taft High School in Chicago participated in the visits on October 1 and 3.

“The Illinois Tollway gave students an invaluable, firsthand experience of how our state’s critical transportation infrastructure is built and maintained,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “These visits were designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, offering students a unique glimpse into future career opportunities in engineering, construction and infrastructure development.”

Stakeholder Advisory Team Advances Recommendations For Future Capital Plan

Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse was delighted to welcome members of the Stakeholder Advisory Team for their fourth meeting. The team has worked diligently in collaboration with the Illinois Tollway to develop value statements and recommendations in preparation for the agency’s next capital plan. Thank you to all SAT members for your continued commitment to the capital planning process! We look forward to developing and presenting our final SAT report. Visit illinoistollway.com/future for the latest updates on our capital planning process.

Diversity Leadership Shares Successes, Lessons Learned On Creating Economic Opportunities

The Illinois Tollway’s Department of Diversity and Strategic Development demonstrated what true leadership in diversity and inclusion looks like at the prestigious American Contract Compliance Association Annual Training Institute.

Chief of Diversity Marlene Vick and General Manager of Diversity Kristen Bennett provided insights on how Illinois Tollway diversity programs and initiatives are transforming economic access for small, diverse, women- and veteran-owned businesses throughout Northern Illinois.

Capital Program Progress, Diversity Initiatives and Future Plans Take Center Stage At ACEC Illinois Fall Conference

Illinois Tollway leadership provided updates on its current capital program, diversity initiatives and future planning at the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois Fall Conference in Springfield.

To engage the audience, the presentation included lively trivia questions, testing participants’ knowledge of the Illinois Tollway and highlighting key facts, such as the number of professional engineering services invoices processed this year (1,358) and the average time to process those invoices (29 days).

“The trivia questions were very well-received by the audience,” said Deputy Chief of Program Implementation Cindy Williams. “The data we provided gave the statewide engineering community good context on how quickly we’re able to process payments, considering the high volume of invoices.”

Engineering Staff Share Updates at Illinois Traffic Engineering and Safety Conference

Illinois Tollway staff joined transportation professionals from across the state at the 73rd Annual Illinois Traffic Engineering and Safety (TES) Conference to share updates on key Tollway projects.

Hosted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the annual TES Conference is a premier Midwest meeting where transportation and safety professionals from various sectors – local, state and federal agencies, consulting firms, contracting companies and universities – discuss ideas and issues, gain job-related knowledge and network.

Suburban Engineering Firm Builds Success With Assistance From Diversity Programs And Drones

Stephanie Wong decided to launch her own engineering firm in 2021 partly because she wanted to build a business “from the ground up” and partly to capitalize on a new concept of using drones to help inspect and manage construction projects.

“I really wanted to bring drone technology and innovation to challenge current methods of how things are done in the infrastructure industry,” said Wong, who previously worked as an engineer in the aviation industry and started flying drones as a hobby while in college. “I wanted to show how a small firm could really make a difference.”

Since Wong and a business partner started SWE Solutions, the Naperville-based firm has grown to include 10 engineers and is working on a variety of construction projects for several different agencies, including the Illinois Tollway.