Drivers could cut down on their drive time between Eugene and Salem, if an Oregon legislator has his way.
House Bill 3195 would require the Oregon Department of Transportation to build additional lanes on Interstate 5. The bill would also include having drivers pay a toll to use the lanes as an option for financing the project. Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Halsey, brought the bill before the legislative transportation committee March 8.
“We need to be innovative and creative to deal with current growth projections. If we keep going the way we are, soon our roads will look like L.A.,” Kropf said.
Kropf introduced the bill after suffering through gridlock on the I-5 corridor.
“I drive every day from Halsey to Salem and experience what it’s like,” he said. “As we grow in this valley for the next 20 to 40 years, we need to think outside of the box to solve our problems.”
Some workers at the University disagree.
“The last thing we need is more pavement,” said Cristie Wilson, a worker at the Oregon Survey Research Laboratory on campus.
Others think adding lanes to I-5 would merely accommodate more traffic, not address the issue.
“If it is not related to reducing traffic, I’m not for it,” said University classified staff member Mark Lind. “I recognize that growth is going to happen in the valley, but I don’t think we should build additional lanes.”
ODOT plans for new roads through the Oregon Transportation Plan, which considers long-term transportation issues and new road construction.
“Projects are based on local communities’ recommendations and sources for funding,” said John Jackley, ODOT public affairs manager, adding that ODOT funnels projects through a priority process known as S.T.I.P. before they can be started.
This approach doesn’t always work and is the reason why multiple bills on transportation are being introduced at the legislative level, Kropf said.
“ODOT is a huge bureaucracy, and they have the mindset to do whatever they think is right,” he said. “But they are not getting the job done.”
He estimates the project will require two sessions to implement because a cost analysis will need to be completed before the project can be started.
Tolls could be one way to finance the project.
“Other states have used tolls,” Jackley said. “To date, they have not been used by Oregon to pay for road projects.”
Jackley said HB 3195 would have a huge fiscal impact on the state, in part because the roads would cross a number of small creeks as well as the McKenzie and Santiam rivers. “We would have to construct more bridges,” he said. “You’re talking around $400 million for the cost of that bill, with no sources identified to pay for it.”
Kropf explained Oregon needs to become more innovative and creative in its solutions — including financing. He suggested the legislature keep extra construction lanes in place when the current expansion project between Albany and Salem wraps up.
“Since the [federal government is] paying for it, they require we rip those extra lanes out of there when we finish — unless the legislature mandates they remain,” Kropf said. “That’s millions of dollars to take that base rock out, when we could use it.”
Other states have opted to pay for expansions with pavement leasing, which requires the contractor to build a project for the state and maintain the pavement for a set number of years.
The committee has scheduled a public hearing on the bill for May 2 at the Capitol building in Salem.