Pioneering Oregon's Tolling Program

The state of Oregon has not histor­i­cally had a modern tolling program, but challenges to the state’s trans­porta­tion infra­struc­ture are mounting, requiring new solutions. “Our trans­porta­tion system isn't keeping up,” wrote the Oregon Department of Trans­porta­tion (ODOT) in commu­ni­ca­tions to residents. “Hours of delay and traffic congestion come at a high cost to individuals, businesses, and communities. Our system is vulnerable to a major earthquake, and we face a $510 million shortfall annually just to maintain the existing state system.” 

To tackle this challenge, ODOT and the Oregon Toll Program are collab­o­rat­ing with CDM Smith. The team is seeking to incorporate multiple toll imple­men­ta­tion projects throughout the state to battle increasing traffic congestion and to upgrade aging trans­porta­tion infra­struc­ture. Beginning in 2017, the Oregon state legislature passed new laws to offset the long-term budgetary impacts of declining revenues for roads, including authorizing the use of tolling. In a related move, the legislature directed state agencies to pursue and implement tolls on I-5 and I-205 in the Portland metro region to help manage traffic congestion.

With decades of experience in the tolling and trans­porta­tion industries, and a niche knowledge of trans­porta­tion technology, tolling method­olo­gies and road usage charging expertise, CDM Smith experts are working with ODOT to establish this new program, from policy, through require­ments, supporting procurement and ultimately through Go-live and into operations.  

“Oregon is the first state in the country to implement RUC. It is also one of the first states in the country that implemented RUC before imple­men­ta­tion of a toll program," said Terri Slack, CDM Smith Discipline Leader for Transportation Revenue Systems and Operations. "It is ODOT’s goal that the residents of the state who enroll in the RUC program and travel on toll roads should not be required to have two accounts to pay for their toll and RUC charges. It is exciting to be supporting ODOT on these many firsts as they establish their toll program.” 

The team is currently developing three separate tolling initiatives. The first project will implement tolling for the recon­structed Abernethy and Tualatin River Bridges on I-205. Toll zones will be delegated to regions of the state utilizing electronic toll collection and license-plate imaging. ODOT and CDM Smith are designing strictly electronic methods to collect tolls to avoid congestion created by plazas and antiquated stop-and-pay methods typically seen implemented by efforts of this type. To ensure a smooth flow of traffic, sensors and cameras will be mounted on overhead structures, similar to the appearance of highway overhead signage. As the first toll project in Oregon, the I-205 Toll Project will establish policies and prereq­ui­sites for future tolls in the state and will develop a system that could be easily expanded to support tolls on other ODOT roadways with little new centralized infra­struc­ture. 

The second initiative, Regional Mobility Pricing, will focus on tolling users of Interstate highways from the I-5 Boone Bridge in Wilsonville north to the Columbia River on both I-5 and I-205. Pricing rates will be tailored to each vehicle type specif­i­cally, based on time of day, vehicle class, trip length, and method of payment.  

The third initiative includes the Interstate Bridge Replacement, a critical connection on I-5 over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. The two states are prior­i­tiz­ing the replacement of the aging twin through-truss lift-span bridges with a modern, multimodal, seismically resilient structure.  

Meanwhile, ODOT has become a national leader in moving away from the gas tax. “Oregon is the first state in the country to implement RUC,” says CDM Smith tolling and technology Discipline Leader Terri Slack. “It is also one of the first states in the country that implemented RUC before imple­men­ta­tion of a toll program.” The development of OReGo, a road usage charging pilot and commercial vehicle weight-mile tax, will enable the state to move away from a reliance on fuel taxes. Oregon Tolling Systems will work with OReGo to develop a “One Stop Shop” experience for drivers by integrating toll and RUC. As the first state in the country to implement a RUC program prior to imple­men­ta­tion of a toll program, it is ODOT’s goal that state residents enrolling in the program will travel on toll roads without the requirement of paying two accounts for their tolling and RUC charges.  

“We don’t want to be in a position where we are relying on older, cookie-cutter systems," said Slack. "We are creating new systems from scratch, and this is where I believe we need to ask the industry, ‘Where are you today, where do you want to go, and how are your current systems functioning? Can the current system support where this agency wants to go?' If not, that is where our team comes in with a fresh, innovative perspective.”