Illinois Tollway to expand and monetize fiber network; awards $55.4 million Adesta contract for maintenance and management

Karen Robles, the Tollway’s chief of planning, told the Engineering Planning & Development Oversight Committee on March 19 that the agency manages a 48,000‑mile fiber system (329 centerline miles; ~2,000 duct miles) divided into 11 segments and that excess capacity is leased to third parties. She said the Tollway has generated about $55.6 million in combined lease revenue over the past five years and forecasted multiple new leases and renewals for 2026.

"Currently, our network encompasses 2,000 duct miles and 48,000 fiber miles," Robles said, emphasizing the network supports toll transaction data, ITS operations and is a growing revenue source when third‑party strands are leased. She described the maintenance and management contract’s four functions—design support, construction support, ongoing maintenance and marketing/leasing—and noted annual lessee maintenance fees are intended to cover inspection and upkeep costs.

Robles told directors the consultant that helps manage and market the network recommends market‑based lease terms; she cited a commission structure the Tollway uses (approximately 7% for renewals and 15% for new leases) and explained state law limits lease terms to 20 years even though industry standards trend longer. She said the Tollway prioritizes system redundancy and additional duct capacity where consultants’ gap analyses show demand, noting that only about 25% of duct and 50% of fiber capacity are currently available in some segments.

Separately, the Engineering Committee recommended awarding a fiber maintenance and management contract (contract 24‑0153) to Adesta LLC for an initial five‑year term not to exceed $55,427,984.81; the committee said the award is critical to continued oversight and marketing of the Tollway network and that BEP and veteran participation commitments are expected to be met. The committee moved to consolidate engineering items 1–10 and recommended placement of those items on the full board agenda; the board later approved placement and then approved the engineering items with recusal on certain items noted at the full meeting.

Directors asked about overbuilding and whether the Tollway should add duct when doing other construction. Robles said there is little incremental cost to include excess capacity while open‑trench work is underway and that the Tollway seeks to pair its system needs (redundancy and performance) with third‑party monetization opportunities.

The committee’s recommendation moves the Adesta contract forward for board action after placement on the agenda; the board subsequently approved the engineering items for placement and later approved them with recorded roll‑call votes where recusals were noted. The contract is advertised with renewal options but the committee recommended the initial five‑year amount as presented.