SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Transportation put out proposed rules Monday that would shape the future of tolling in Oregon. While the rules are aimed at the Interstate Bridge, they could be made to apply anywhere else in the state.
For the time being, tollways are few and far between in Oregon, limited to a few spots like the Hood River Bridge. But that won't last forever — we know that funding for a new I-5 crossing between Portland and Vancouver will require tolling on both the old span and the new, and it's likely that Portland-area freeways will be back on the table soon enough.
ODOT's new proposed rules are lengthy and detailed, laying out a series of steps that must be taken before ODOT will consider a tolling plan, then send it on to the Oregon Transportation Commission for a final decision on whether to proceed.
Near the top of the document, ODOT reveals that any government agency can propose a tollway project to ODOT at any time without paying a fee. Any private group can do the same, but they will have to pay $40,000.
The rules require that those making the proposal answer a long list of questions about impacts to neighbors, traffic, the environment and more.
And according to the rules, any tollway will have to show that it can pay for itself; that the money generated will cover the cost of the project and the ongoing maintenance. If that's not possible, and it's deemed an important project to the state, it might still be approved if tolls will cover at least some of the costs.
When it comes to setting tolls for the future Interstate Bridge and other projects, the proposed rules lay out 16 questions which must be answered; from the location of tolling plazas to the cost of building the tolling system to the charges levied on different classes of users. That suggests that the toll for semi-trucks may be different than passenger vehicles, for example.
One thing conspicuously excluded from the rules document are the discounts and free passes discussed extensively in earlier ODOT tolling plans. The state agency said those were left out because ODOT is not handling the actual tolling on the Interstate Bridge, which will be left to the Washington Department of Transportation.
There is a fine included for people who skip paying a toll, which would be the price of the toll plus $15. Refusal to pay will mean that the state will eventually refuse to renew the toll-dodger's vehicle registration until it's paid up.
The rules aren't set in stone just yet, and ODOT is looking for public comment on them. The various ways to submit comment are listed on the agency's web page, "Public Comment on Limited Toll Rules Update."