Just say “No” to tolls

are facing multiple possible tolls on area freeways. They will be asked to pay to drive on roads taxpayers have already paid for. ODOT’s Don Hamilton wants to modify your behavior, encouraging people to take mass transit or drive during times the roads are less congested.

are also being proposed for the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project. . An estimated 75,000 Clark County and SW Washington workers commute to Oregon. ODOT, WSDOT, and the IBR want DOUBLE TOLLS for these people using I-5. They want one variable rate toll to use the replacement Interstate Bridge, and a second variable rate toll charged as soon as you touch land in Oregon.

harming low income workers the most. These people often have no flexibility in when they must travel to or from work. In the failed Columbia River Crossing (CRC).it was estimated the $8 tolls could cost working families $2,000 per year.

to pay back an estimated $1.5 billion in borrowed money. Today the federal government has made $1.2 trillion in transportation funds for projects exactly like the Interstate Bridge, including a $12.5 billion bucket the IBR is targeting. There is no need to borrow money to pay for a replacement bridge.

could pay for Oregon’s Rose Quarter and I-205 Abernethy Bridge projects. It is estimated Washington and Oregon would receive over $14 billion from the $1.2 trillion package, and be eligible to compete for even more for the IBR.

onto side roads and arterials. The ODOT “Value Pricing” committee revealed that if TOLLS were place on all area freeways, 130,000 vehicles would be diverting onto side roads that are already crowded. This is a safety issue, first and foremost. It will also reduce the quality of life in neighborhoods.

will cause many vehicles to divert and use I-205 to cross the Columbia River. That will increase congestion on the Glen Jackson Bridge.

to collect taxpayer money for transportation. In Seattle on I-405, 43 percent of the money collected goes to the “cost of collection”. Toll collection declined so badly during the pandemic, the Washington legislature had to bail out tolling facilities by allocating money from the General Fund.

has just under a 1 percent cost of collection. It is a much more efficient way to raise funds for transportation.

for their I-205 Abernethy Bridge project first. Clackamas County citizens have risen up, knowing they have few options to cross the Willamette River. They also are fighting the traffic diversion that will clog local streets and roads.

IP-41, that will require a vote of the people before TOLLS can be placed on any state highway. Washington citizens should consider a similar initiative.