If you live in the mid-valley and fly out of Portland or have reason to travel to Washington, your trip will get more expensive and time consuming. What you've heard is true. Congestion pricing is coming to I-5 and I-205. ODOT has two toll projects underway in the Portland metro area -- the I-205 Toll Project and the Regional Mobility Pricing Project -- to manage traffic on I-205 and I-5 in a way that is equitable and addresses climate change while providing needed funding for critical infrastructure and safety improvements. While separate projects, they update each other. Toll prices will be higher at peak traffic times, a concept known as “variable pricing.” Both projects have concluded:

• Drivers only pay for what they use.
• Tolls help traffic move more smoothly.
• Tolls provide a more reliable trip.
• Toll prices will not be a surprise.

The Regional Mobility Pricing Project will apply congestion pricing -- using variable-rate tolls -- on all lanes of I-5 and I-205 in the Portland metro area to manage traffic congestion and raise revenue for priority transportation projects.

The I-205 Toll Project will use variable-rate tolls on the Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges to raise revenue to complete the I-205 Improvement Project and manage congestion. Toll revenue is needed to complete construction of the remaining phases of the I-205 Improvement Project, designed to address the bottleneck caused by the last remaining two-lane section of I-205. Without the completion, it is believed that diversion to local streets will increase when the interstate has stop-and-go traffic.

ODOT has worked with the community since 2017 to design the project and received support for construction. ODOT completed the environmental review of the I-205 Improvement Project in 2018. Construction is estimated to cost about $700 million. Over the past three years, ODOT explored state and federal funding sources and determined other funding, even from the $5.3 billion Transportation Infrastructure Bill is not available to complete the project.

If you live in mid-valley, you may want to check out Eugene Airport as a viable option to traveling I-205, especially if you can travel during the week and are a little flexible on days. The costs are very comparable with Portland without the hassle of tolls along I-205. Another influencing factor is that Portland airport lost paramedics and firefighters due to the mandates. The more Eugene Airport is utilized, the more flights can be scheduled. It could mean a downward trend for Portland to relieve traffic congestion.

Oregon Department of Transportation will hold Regional Mobility Pricing Project workshops focused on finding solutions to managing congestion in a way that is equitable and addresses climate change while providing needed funding for critical infrastructure and safety improvements. A workshop is scheduled for November 9 and 10 that will be available to livestream and participate in an online survey throughout the meeting.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-11-06 20:58:07

Last Update: 2021-11-06 22:15:16