Skepticism from Governor Tina Kotek and state legislators about the Oregon Department of Transportation’s tolling plans may have lasting impacts. By TAYLOR GRIGGS — Portland Mercury May 9, 2023 Construction on I-205 at the Abernethy Bridge. OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION To toll or not to toll? That is the question du jour for the Oregon...
By Joe Cortright — City Observatory 16.5.2023 The Oregon Department of Transportation maintains that it will use tolls to pay for the I-5 Rose Quarter Freeway widening project, but that it doesn’t need to evaluate tolling as part of the project’s environmental assessment because tolling isn’t “reasonably foreseeable.” Tolls can’t be both “available” and...
No need to toll I-5 Bridge Replacement By John Ley – Portland Tribune letter As the Oregon legislature and governor haggle over funding transportation, there is no real need for tolling on the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR). The IBR has only a “conceptual design.” It’s impossible to know the cost of any specific component, let...
Why didn’t ODOT include a non-tolling option for consideration in the project’s impact assessment? By Cam Gilmore — Canby Herald May 4, 2023 (updated May 8th) In what can only be described as relief to Clackamas County residents and other users of Interstate 205, Gov. Tina Kotek’s order will delay tolls on the I-205 Toll...
The bill that would begin funding the I-5 bridge replacement got its first public hearing last week. Another is on Thursday. By Nigel Jaquiss — Willamette Week May 03, 2023 BILL OF THE WEEK: House Bill 2098 For 20 years, highway engineers on both sides of the Columbia River have fantasized about replacing the aging twin Interstate...
Governor follows lead of legislators seeking 2-year pause By Corey Buchanan May 2, 2023 (Portland Tribune) Following the bill proposed last week by local legislators calling for a tolling moratorium, Gov. Tina Kotek has apparently initiated the delay herself. A joint release from Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield,...
“The most fiscally irresponsible legislation I have seen before an Oregon legislative committee.” No Tolls staff The Oregon legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation held its first public hearing of the 2023 legislative session on Thursday evening, April 27th. The 12 member committee said the purpose of the hearing was to listen regarding the various proposals...
A bipartisan rebellion is breaking out along the highway as affected communities feel unheard. By Nigel Jaquiss — Willamette Week April 27, 2023 By Nigel Jaquiss April 27, 2023 at 11:44 am PDT On the eve of a much-anticipated public hearing on the controversial $6.5 billion Interstate Bridge replacement project, three Clackamas County lawmakers have introduced...
Legislators propose two-year moratorium on interstate tolling By Kaelyn Cassidy Apr 26, 2023 The Oregon Department of Transportation has been studying tolls on I-5 and I-205 between the Columbia River and the Boone Bridge as a means to increase funding for infrastructure improvements.Spokesman File Photo In response to mounting concerns from constituents and local governments,...
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation will finally take public testimony on House Bill 2098 By Nigel Jaquiss April 25, 2023 — Willamette Week Although the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation is grappling with whether and how to fund two megaprojects on Interstate 5 in Portland (the proposed $1.45 billion expansion of the freeway at the Rose Quarter...
© 2023 All Rights Reserved