The city of Lake Oswego and its leaders had vociferously criticized the state of Oregon’s plan to toll I-5 and I-205 as a way to fund infrastructure projects from the get-go.
Their efforts — along with the many others who opposed tolling — may have been vindicated this week when Gov. Tina Kotek decided to halt the Regional Mobility Pricing Project and asked the Legislature to decide how to address the transportation infrastructure funding shortfall.
Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck was one of more than a handful of mayors to consistently speak out against the tolling plan, often saying that the state lacked adequate planning for local improvements that would mitigate the effects of traffic diversion from local highways to city streets. He was pleased to see Kotek take a step back from the initiative.
“My colleagues and I throughout Clackamas worked for years to amplify the concerns of our residents, and it’s a relief the Governor reached the same conclusions we did — that tolling as planned was a path to a solution headed for disaster. Now we have the undistracted space to work as partners to address meeting the demands of modern transportation system funding including safety, climate goals and equity,” he said in a statement.
Lake Oswego City Councilor John Wendland, for his part, described Kotek’s decision as bold but sensible.
“Oregon needs to be creative and strategic about developing a path forward to fund transportation projects. Tolling should never be one of them — ever,” he said.
However, Buck noted that the ongoing dialogue around tolling may have had some positives, including an increased awareness about the state’s lacking resources for infrastructure improvements. With tolling sidelined for now, the state will need to find a way to fund projects like replacing the I-5 Boone Bridge and revamping the section of I-5 near the Rose Quarter. The state has reported that a decline in fuel tax revenue left a gap in available funds for transportation projects. Buck said the state needs to think creatively to fill funding gaps and to throw out “stale 20th century methods.”
In a statement, Rep. Daniel Nguyen, D-Lake Oswego, said that funding transportation infrastructure will be a top priority at the 2025 legislative session.
“I thank Governor Kotek for her leadership on the state’s tolling plan and the shortfalls identified with the Regional Mobility Pricing Plan, and I commend her for listening to local community concerns,” Nguyen said. “That said, Oregon needs to identify sustainable short-term and long-term revenue options to address deferred maintenance and funding needed to meet the needs of a modern, safe and resilient transportation infrastructure system.”
Other state legislators in the area who opposed tolling, Rep. Jules Walters, D-West Linn, Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, also thanked Kotek. The citizen-led Vote Before Tolls Committee that pushed to have tolling placed on this November’s ballot decided to pause this effort.
““The tolling battle is not done. The governor’s tolling halt is political maneuvering and likely does not stop all local tolling. IP-4 on the 2024 ballot is a risk to the election and re-election of legislators who think they can tax the citizens at will. They don’t want the citizens to have the right to have a say in how their money is spent — and they certainly don’t want us to have the right to stop them in their tracks with a vote,” chief petitioner Dean Suhr said in a press release.
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