The I-205 Toll Project proposes tolling at the Abernethy Bridge, which spans the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn. Tolling will help repay a portion of the construction costs to make the I-205
Abernethy Bridge earthquake ready. Tolling will also help manage congestion and raise revenue for other roadway and multimodal projects.
Construction on the Abernethy Bridge is well underway and is scheduled for completion in 2025. When completed, the Abernethy Bridge will be the first eartchquake-ready interstate structure across the Willamette River in the Portland area. Both the I-205 Toll Project and the Abernethy Bridge construction project are part of ODOT's
Urban Mobility Strategy, a cohesive approach to make everyday travel safer and more predictable in the Portland metro area.
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Current Status
Earlier this year, we published the I-205 Toll Project
Environmental Assessment in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, followed by a 60-day public comment period. The Environmental Assessment described the effects of using variable rate tolls on the Abernethy Bridge and Tualatin River Bridges to raise revenue for the I-205 Improvements Project.
We received 2,800 public comments and identified 22 general themes that were frequently expressed. Examples include:
- Concerns about increased congestion on local streets and alternative routes to I-205 due to drivers avoiding tolls; this is known as diversion.
- A desire to understand why current taxes and other sources of funding aren't enough to fund the transportation system.
- Wanting clarity on how the toll revenue will be used now and in the future.
- Concerns about equity and the impact of tolling on community members.
Below are links to the public comments, a full engagement summary, and responses to frequently received comments:
Changes to the I-205 Toll Project scope
In May 2023, after we had completed the 2023 Environmental Assessment comment period, Gov. Tina Kotek directed ODOT to delay toll collection on I-205 and I-5 until 2026. With the delay in toll revenue and increasing construction costs, we reduced the scope of the I-205 Toll Project and some of the associated construction improvements on I-205 to better manage available funds. Now the I-205 Toll Project proposes tolling only at the Abernethy Bridge to help repay a portion of the Abernethy Bridge construction costs. These changes were outlined in the finance plan for all Urban Mobility Strategy projects.
What are the next steps for the I-205 Toll Project?
In response to comments from agencies and community members on the 2023 Environmental Assessment, and because of the reduced I-205 Toll Project scope, we're preparing a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for release in 2024. The Supplemental Enviornmental Assessment will be based on a
revised Project Description and revised Purpose and Need statement.
The revised I-205 Toll Project Description states:
The revised Project (Revised Build Alternative) is the implementation of tolling at the Abernethy Bridge. Under the Revised Build Alternative, drivers of vehicles on I-205 would be assessed a toll for crossing the Abernethy Bridge (between OR 43 and OR 99E). Toll gantries and supporting infrastructure would be located entirely within the existing I-205 right-of-way at the OR 43/I-205 interchange.
For the Supplemental Environmental Assessment, we're making adjustments to our analysis to reflect some of the comments we received. This includes using newer data when appropriate and potentially including local streets and intersections that we didn't previously analyze. The community will have another opportunity to provide input and comment on the Supplemental Environmental Assessments in 2024.
A congestion pricing toll system means tolls are higher during peak – or “congested" – periods to encourage drivers to consider changing their travel time, carpooling, taking the bus, or avoiding the trip altogether. According to the Federal Highway Administration, removing as little as 5 percent of cars from a busy road can improve traffic flow.
Congestion pricing gives people a choice for a faster highway trip when they need it – like when they need to get to work, make a medical appointment, or pick up their child from school or daycare.
On I-205, tolls would be all-electronic, meaning there would be no toll booths, and drivers would not stop and pay. An all-electronic collection system is convenient for travelers and allows vehicles to keep moving.
A transponder is a small tag or sticker placed on the windshield that is scanned by toll gantry. Toll gantries are overhead structures that read transponders and charge the account holder. If a vehicle doesn't have a transponder, a camera captures the car's license plate, and the registered owner is billed.
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