I-205 Toll Project

Project Status

The I-205 Toll Project will use variable-rate tolls on the Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges to raise revenue to complete the I-205 Improvements Project and manage congestion.

ODOT is moving forward with development of the I-205 Toll Project Environmental Assessment. It will present an analysis of two alternatives: the Build Alternative (tolling) and the No Build Alternative. The Environmental Assessment will be available for public review and comment in summer 2022. Key activities in Fall 2021 include:

Working with Metro to amending the 2018 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the 2021-2024 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program to add the preliminary engineering phase for the I-205 Toll Project and clarify financial connection of the I-205 Toll Project to the I-205 Improvement Project
Gathering feedback from local residents, partner agencies, and businesses affected by tolling and potential rerouting
Conducting traffic and other studies to evaluate impacts of tolling

Project Description

The I-205 Toll Project would toll I-205 near the Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges to raise revenue for construction of the planned I-205 Improvements Project and manage congestion between Stafford Road and Oregon Route 213 to give travelers a better and more reliable trip.

The first phase of the I-205 Improvements Project is the construction of the Abernethy Bridge. This will make the Abernethy Bridge the first earthquake-ready highway bridge across the Willamette River. These initial improvements, called Phase 1A and scheduled for construction in late spring/early summer 2022, will use financing tools recently approved by the Oregon Legislature.

Toll revenue is needed to complete construction of the remaining phases of the I-205 Improvements Project, which will address the bottleneck caused by the last remaining two-lane section of I-205. 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. Diversion to local streets will also increase when the interstate has stop-and-go traffic.

ODOT has worked with the community since 2017 to design the project and received strong support to construct it. ODOT completed the environmental review of the I-205 Improvements Project in 2018. Construction is estimated to cost about $700 million. Over the past three years, ODOT explored state and federal funding sources and determined other funding sources are not available; toll revenue will be critical to completion of the I-205 Improvements Project.

Learn about I-205 Improvements: Stafford Road to OR 213.

Project Purpose & Expected Benefits

The I-205 Toll Project will use variable-rate tolls on the Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges to raise revenue to complete the I-205 Improvements Project and manage congestion. Read the Purpose and Need Statement here.

By 2040, Portland area households will spend an average of 69 hours each year stuck in traffic without new transportation investments. Yet Oregon currently faces an annual shortfall of $510 million in its ability to adequately maintain bridges and pavement.

Tolling is needed to fix our transportation system.

Congestion pricing, a type of tolling, will bring more reliable trips and address congestion in the Portland metropolitan region, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The revenue from tolling will fund seismic, safety and bottleneck-relief projects, further contributing to regional congestion relief.

Tolling helps manage traffic congestion by encouraging drivers to consider other travel options or times of travel. Even a small decrease in the number of people trying to get on I-5 and I-205 will have travel time benefits for those who can't modify their trip.

Community Outreach

Winter Webinars

On February 15 and 16, project staff presented webinars on the preliminary results of ODOT’s ongoing traffic analysis.

Early results show daily traffic jams on I-205 near Oregon City would drop significantly with a proposal under study. Project staff were available to answer questions following a presentation.

The sessions focused on:

How ODOT is studying traffic effects on I-205 and local roads
Early results on hours of congestion, travel time and neighborhood health and safety
Strategies that could be used to address any negative impacts

The webinars were held on Zoom and were livestreamed on ODOT's YouTube Channel. You can watch recordings of these webinars by clicking on the links below.

Webinar #1 – Click here to watch webinar #1.
Webinar #2 – Click here to watch webinar #2.

View the webinar presentation slide deck here.

How Electronic Tolling Works

Tolling on I-205 would consist of an all-electronic system that would automatically collect tolls from vehicles traveling across the Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges. Drivers will not stop to pay a toll. A transponder, a small sticker placed on the windshield, is read and connected to a pre-paid account. If a vehicle doesn't have a transponder, a camera captures the car's license plate, and the registered owner is billed.

Learn more about tolls.

Learn more about the I-205 Toll Project:

Project Schedule

Tolls could begin on I-205 as early as late 2024. The process to implement a toll program requires substantial analysis, public input, construction, testing and driver education before the system can be operational. An Environmental Assessment for the I-205 Toll Project will be published for public review and comment in summer 2022.

Click on image to expand.

Learn about the Regional Mobility Pricing Project.

We want to hear from you!

Your involvement helps us build a toll program that benefits the entire state and meets our collective needs. ODOT is actively seeking extensive public and stakeholder involvement to inform project development and prioritize community mobility and equity.

Multiple strategies are underway to ensure the Oregon Transportation Commission and ODOT staff hear from community members in the Portland metropolitan area, including Southwest Washington, before making decisions.

These strategies include:

Collaboration with the Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee
Equitable and focused engagement with people who have been historically and are currently underrepresented and underserved or who have low incomes
Broad public and community outreach using in-person events and online channels
Briefings discussions with existing regional policy groups (for example, Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation)
Seeking input from Technical work groups of partner agency staff on methodologies and analytical results that incorporate stakeholder input

As the I-205 Toll Project continues to move forward, ODOT will be offering digital opportunities to hear directly from the experts and provide valuable feedback. Sign up for project updates to find out about upcoming events.