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Task Force Looks at Tolling I-5 Crossing
The Oregonian reports that tolls for a new Columbia Crossing could be as high as $5/day for peak period crossings. Outside of peak hours the rate would be significantly lower. Will the driving public accept this kind of toll structure for a new bridge? In news elsewhere, IBM has apparently patented the idea of variable…
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Blue Ribbon Panel Call for Gas Tax Hike Shouted Down
The “National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission” appointed by Congress two years ago recommended $285B in infrastructure spending annually for the next 25 years to deal with the deteriorating transportation system. To fund the improvements, they proposed a $0.40 increase in the Federal Gas Tax, to be phased in over several years. Remarkably,…
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Surplus helps bicyclists, addicts, more
The city of Portland is expecting a budget surplus this year, and in stark contrast to the recent Interstate Avenue debacle, the city council unanimously approved how the additional funds would be divided. Some of the money has even been earmarked for certain improvements to the transportation infrastructure: Another big winner was Portland’s cycling community.…
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Fixing Traffic Without Help From Uncle Sam
An article on Planetizen discusses efforts by governments across the country to address congestion and transportation funding problems without federal assistance. In addition to the usual suspects (HOT lanes, queue-jumper lanes, privately-owned toll roads), one idea caught my eye more than the rest: Finally, in a gambit straight out of the Jetsons, the Swedish government…
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Mileage Tax Potholes?
A few weeks ago, ODOT released the final report on their “Road User Fee Pilot Program” (a test of a mileage tax as a replacement for the gax tax). They declared it “feasible.” But the most recent issue of Willamette Week (“Miles from Nowhere”) predicts that it won’t happen.