Last Value Pricing Committee meeting is June 25 in Portland

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Sixth and last Value Pricing advisory committee meeting is June 25 in Portland

June 19, 2018

Contacts

Don Hamilton, 503-704-7452

Kimberly Dinwiddie, 503-539-8454

PORTLAND -- The Portland Metro Area Value Pricing Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) will hold its sixth and final meeting on Monday, June 25, to develop recommendations for reducing congestion on interstates 5 and 205.

The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon at the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Region 1 headquarters, 123 N.W. Flanders St., in Portland. Committee meetings are open to all and will include an opportunity for public comment.

The meeting will be streamed live at the project web site, ODOTValuepricing.org, or at https://www.youtube.com/user/oregondot/live.

During the meeting, the PAC will finalize its congestion pricing recommendations, including mitigation measures, for future consideration by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC), the state’s tolling authority. The OTC will consider the recommendations along with further public comments in order to submit its proposal to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by Dec. 31.

 

Here are a few important upcoming milestones in the congestion pricing process.

 

  • June 26. Online public comment begins. Written comments on the PAC recommendations and pricing concepts may be submitted for OTC consideration to the project web site, ODOTValuePricing.org.
  • July 5. The advisory committee forwards its recommendations to the OTC and releases it for public consideration.
  • July 12. The OTC holds a special public comment session on congestion pricing in the Columbia Falls Ballroom, University Place Hotel and Conference Center, 310 S.W. Lincoln St., Portland. The session begins at 4 p.m. Anyone wishing to comment in person may sign up between 3 and 7 p.m. This meeting will also be streamed live.
  • Aug. 16. OTC begins discussions with ODOT over the proposal to submit to FHWA.
  • Dec. 31. OTC’s congestion pricing proposal due to the FHWA.

Since its first meeting last Nov. 20, the PAC has evaluated technical studies, public comments and its own viewpoints among members in preparing the recommendation that will be considered June 25. Outreach efforts connected more than 16,000 times with the public via on-line open houses, video views, questionnaires, in-person open houses, discussion groups, and presentations to councils, clubs, commissioners and community business associations.

Value pricing, also known as congestion pricing, is a broad term covering an array of tolling options in which a higher price is set for driving on a road when demand is greater, usually in the morning and evening rush hours. The goal of congestion pricing is to reduce congestion by encouraging some people to travel at less congested times or use alternate modes, and to provide users with a more reliable trip.

The committee has been studying congestion pricing for all or parts of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205, from the state line to where the two highways meet south of Tualatin.

The five tolling concepts under evaluation are:

  • North section I-5 priced lane. This would convert the northbound high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on I-5 in North Portland to a toll lane and would convert the southbound left lane to a toll lane in the same area.
  • Toll all I-5 lanes from just north of Downtown Portland to Southwest Portland. This would set a toll on all lanes in both directions of I-5 between North Going Street and Southwest Multnomah Boulevard.
  • Toll all I-5 and I-205 lanes. This would set tolls on all lanes in both directions on all 47 miles of I-5 and I-205 in the study area.
  • New priced lane on I-205. This would set a toll on the new lane planned in both directions of I-205 from the Abernethy Bridge south to Stafford Road. The left lane would be tolled.
  • I-205 Abernethy Bridge toll. This would set a toll on all lanes in both directions of the bridge.

No decisions have been made about what type of congestion pricing practices will be recommended for the I-5/I-205 corridor.

The PAC has considered numerous factors in developing its recommendation to the OTC, including cost, traffic operations, diversion, transit service, economic and equity impacts, environmental impacts, consistency with federal and state laws and revenue potential.

The 25-member PAC includes representatives of the business community, equity and environmental justice interests, public transportation, environmental advocates and local governments in Oregon and Washington.

In 2017, the Oregon Legislature approved HB 2017, Keep Oregon Moving, which directed the OTC to pursue congestion pricing on the I-5 and I-205 corridors or segments of them. The OTC formed the PAC to evaluate options and consider public input and then advise the OTC on the impacts of congestion pricing options on road users, the transportation system, and the community, economy and environment.

Accommodations at the June 25 PAC meeting will be provided to people with disabilities to participate. To request an accommodation, please call April deLeon-Galloway at 503-731-3117 or call statewide relay at 7-1-1 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Accessible parking is available on the west side of the building along Northwest 2nd Avenue. The Old Town/Chinatown MAX stop, serving the Red Line and Blue Line, is two blocks southeast of the meeting location. Bike parking is available nearby as well.

Agendas, a list of committee members, meeting materials and other resources can be found at the committee website at ODOTValuepricing.org. The website can also be used to sign up for email updates.

Note to Editors: Advisory Committee members will be available after the meeting for interviews.