The Illinois Tollway says it will spend $1.4 billion on 2014 capital investments, which is the largest amount of construction funds the agency has ever proposed for one year.

"We are making a tremendous amount of capital investments in our system next year, so a tremendous amount of construction will be going on," Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur told the Chicago Tribune. "I think that's good news in the long term for our customers, but it does mean people are going to have to be very careful as they're out there driving in construction zones."

Next year, the agency plans to continue with the rehabilitation of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway and work on the new Elgin-O'Hare Western Access, among other projects.

The agency's 2014 proposed budget anticipates $1 billion in revenue, mainly from tolls, with some of those funds being used to ramp up the presence of Illinois State Police, who monitor the tollways. The agency plans to boost the number of troopers patrolling the tollway system next year from 180 to 196 state police officers. More troopers will be especially important, the agency says, starting on January 1, when a new speed limit law takes effect allowing motorists to drive up to 70 mph on some highways.