Illinois Tollway committee hears draft strategic plan; final draft due for approval July 28

The Strategic Planning Committee of the Illinois Tollway heard a presentation on a draft strategic plan that agency staff say will guide decisions on the budget and the capital plan and will be returned to the committee and the full board with a recommendation to approve on July 28.

Committee leadership opened the meeting by approving the minutes of the committee’s Dec. 19, 2024, meeting, then described the day’s presentation as “more than an update” and “a defining moment for this agency.” The presentation and discussion that followed summarized the plan’s mission, vision, goals and the set of initiatives staff said will turn the plan into action.

John Donato, chief of staff, who led the presentation, said the agency engaged an internal process beginning in spring 2024 and worked with every department to prepare the update. “So it is my privilege to be here presenting an overview of the agency’s strategic plan,” Donato said. He said staff held three charrettes, executive team briefings and a board retreat as part of the process and that all 16 departments across the agency were represented in the outreach.

Manjeet Ranu, national planning lead for consulting firm WSP, told the committee the plan will “sit at the center of how the Tollway will lead,” and described how the budget and capital plan will flow from the strategic document. “This is how the Tollway will turn strategy into action,” Ranu said.

Committee members and staff outlined three investment priority categories that will organize the plan’s work: (1) maintain and enhance the system, (2) expand access, and (3) diversify offerings. Presenters said the board workshop held last October set the relative weighting for those categories, with “expand access” representing roughly half of planned investment resources and the other two categories supporting that priority.

The draft identifies 45 programmatic initiatives that staff said will be incorporated into the agency’s work plans and tracked over time. Presenters said the plan reflects a refreshed mission and vision, and that regular progress reports will be provided to the board. Staff also said they will perform scenario testing every few years to recalibrate the plan as needed.

Cassandra (executive director) thanked the committee and the consultant team and said the agency is “very excited and eager to implement the new strategic plan.” She told the committee staff will continue to finalize the draft over the coming weeks and return it to the committee for consideration and to the full board for action in July.

Committee members who spoke during the discussion praised the plan’s emphasis on measurable initiatives and customer service, and said they view the document as a foundation for the agency’s decisions going forward. One committee speaker described the plan as practical, with each initiative “having a purpose, a timeline, and more importantly, a way to measure that progress.”

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes for the Strategic Planning Committee meeting held Dec. 19, 2024: Motion to approve was moved and seconded; committee conducted a voice vote and the chair stated the motion passed. (Voice vote; names of mover/second not specified in the transcript.)

- Motion to adjourn the meeting: Moved and seconded; voice vote passed. (Voice vote; names of mover/second not specified in the transcript.)

Background and next steps

Presenters said the last full strategic plan adoption occurred nearly 15 years ago and that this update is intended to align the agency’s daily operations, budget and multi-year capital investments with an updated mission and goals. Staff said they will finalize the plan text in the coming weeks, bring a final draft with a recommendation to the committee on July 28, and seek full board approval thereafter. The draft also references the Toll Highway Act and the Move Illinois capital plan as context used in the plan’s development.

The meeting included no public comment. The committee adjourned after the presentation and brief remarks from committee members.