Portland Highway Tolls Move Closer, State Likely To Ask Feds' OK

PORTLAND, OR – While it's not likely to happen anytime soon, it became more likely Thursday that tolls on I-5 and I-205 are going to happen. The Oregon Department of Transportation released a plan that, if approved by the state's Transportation Commission, will be sent to the federal government for consideration.

The plan, which is the result of months of work and would impose tolls on parts of I-5 and I-205, doesn't specify exactly where in the Portland area they would be placed.

It also does not address how much the tolls would be, whether there would be exemptions granted, and what times of day that they would be in effect.

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A 24-member policy advisory committee developed the plan after ODOT was directed to do so by the Oregon Transportation Commission, which will now consider the plan at their Dec. 6 meeting.

If they approve the plan, it will be then sent to the Federal Highway Administration.

If permission to pursue tolling is granted, tolls would still likely be years away as there would need to be more studies – an environmental review, for instance – before the tolls would actually be built, certainly not before 2024, according to ODOT.

The plan also says that the state will consider three ways to mitigate impacts of tolling: improved public transportation, possible exemptions for low-income populations, and work on nearby roads to ease congestion in adjacent neighborhoods.

Graphic via ODOT.