In this issue

• I-205 Toll Project update.
• Community engagement for the Regional Mobility Pricing Project. 
• Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee discusses recommendations to Transportation Commission.

I-205 Toll Project moves forward

Revenue from the I-205 Toll Project is needed to complete the I-205 Improvements Project. 

The I-205 Improvements Project will begin construction in mid-2022 to make the Abernethy Bridge the first earthquake-ready highway bridge across the Willamette River.

The I-205 Improvements Project  will be constructed in phases. These initial improvements, called Phase 1A, will use financing tools recently approved by the Oregon Legislature.

Toll revenue is needed to construct future phases of the I-205 Improvements Project and could be used to pay back funds borrowed for the Abernethy Bridge. This decision depends on completing the required environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

When fully constructed, the I-205 Improvements Project will address the bottleneck caused by the last remaining two-lane section of I-205. The project will reduce crashes and daily congestion by more than four and a half hours each day by adding a third lane in each direction with shoulders that could accommodate buses.

If the toll alternative is selected, potential toll gantries would charge tolls at two locations: the Abernethy Bridge and the Tualatin River Bridge.

The I-205 Toll Project under study would toll vehicles crossing the Abernethy and Tualatin River bridges.  The earliest tolls could begin is in 2024.

Without tolls and future roadway upgrades, the almost seven hours of daily congestion and safety risks will continue to grow as more people use the highway. Without action, diversion to local streets will also increase when I-205 has more stop-and-go traffic.

Continue to talk with us. 

We have worked with the I-205 community since 2017 and received strong support to construct project improvements. Statewide, we’ve heard the need to remove this bottleneck.  

We know people have concerns with tolls and we are working to create a system that works for all the region’s travelers. Over the next year, ODOT will complete the required federal environmental analysis for the I-205 Toll Project and determine how a new toll system can be implemented equitably. We will host discussions in the coming months to share findings from the environmental review. Before final decisions are made, we will also host a listening session on the I-205 Toll Project Environmental Assessment and gather verbal comments.

More information:

• OregonTolling.org    
• i205corridor.org

Listening to you

Community engagement for the Regional Mobility Pricing Project.  

Thank you for your input!

We received over 6,000 responses to our series of five, one-minute surveys over the past month about the Regional Mobility Pricing Project. Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’ve learned about your travel preferences, what matters most to you, and what could make a regional toll program easier on community members.

Inclusive engagement

An important part of the Regional Mobility Pricing Project is making sure we hear from everyone. For this reason, we are partnering with Community Engagement Liaisons (CELs) to invite participation from multilingual and underserved communities through discussion groups and surveys. 

Thank you to the community members who participated in discussion groups for Native American, Latin American, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese communities. Upcoming discussions are scheduled with Black/African American communities and people living with disabilities. We are committed to advancing equitable engagement, as outlined in our Equity Framework.

Next steps

Over the next month, we will review and summarize the results. We’ll share what we heard and how it will inform our next steps. If you missed the surveys, it’s not too late to give feedback! There will be plenty of opportunities to get involved throughout this process. Keep an eye on your inbox or our website for ways to engage.

We appreciate all those who participated in discussion groups and shared their feedback about a future regional tolling program.

Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee discusses recommendations to Transportation Commission.

Join us for the next Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee meeting on September 29 at 3:30 p.m. The focus in September will be on refining recommendations to the Oregon Transportation Commission. You can find the meeting information at the Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee website. Submit written comments at any time to the committee by emailing Oregontolling@odot.state.or.us. 

Learn more about recent meeting outcomes from June and July meetings, which focused on neighborhood health and safety.

About the Oregon Toll Program 

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 inform each other. Toll prices will be higher at peak traffic times, a concept known as “congestion pricing.” With both projects:

• 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 Oregon Department of Transportation invites your input to make tolls work for our community.

Stay connected. 

Please follow along with us to receive updates on the Regional Mobility Pricing Project and the I-205 Toll Project and tell us what’s on your mind.

• Twitter:
• Urban Mobility Office on Twitter (new!)
• ODOT Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube

For more information and to sign up for email updates, please check out the project website or email the project team.

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The information in this document, and the public and agency input received, may be adopted or incorporated by reference into a future environmental review process to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.