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.
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