Illinois Tollway oasis
An Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of commercialized rest area sited over interstate highways that are part of the toll road system in northern Illinois, United States. The seven oases offer food and gasoline vendors and are found in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, DeKalb, and Belvidere. Although the oases date back to the original tollway construction in 1958, they were redeveloped in 2003–2005 by Wilton Partners, a private developer. The redevelopment of the oases has been the focal point of alleged political corruption. The seven oases are administered by a court-appointed manager following default of Wilton Partners.
As is typical for rest stops on toll highways, these areas are full service, or "commercialized", as a result of concessions awarded by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA).
In 2011, over 11.8 million people visited the seven oases. These facilities in Illinois have gas stations (Mobil) with 24-hour automated car washes, fast food restaurants (McDonald's, Panda Express, Subway, etc.), and other various shops (such as Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Coleman Distributors, and TravelMart). Oases also have automatic teller machines. Six of the oases are built as a bridge-restaurant, directly over the Interstate Highway they service. The oasis in DeKalb is the only exception, with the facility located along the southern (eastbound) side of Interstate 88, and a vehicle overpass allows westbound traffic to access a segregated parking lot and gas station along one side of the facility. All the oases provide free WiFi access for visitors. The oases have a drive-thru lane for the McDonald's. All oases, except for the Hinsdale and DeKalb oases, have Tollway Customer Service Centers, where I-Pass toll transponders are sold and serviced. The oases have a total of 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of retail space. As of 2009, the oases were 45 percent to 65 percent vacant. ISTHA has established a special task force to study of the oases' future.
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