A Macquarie team has said yes to the viability of concession driven improvements for I-205, no to the viability of the Sunrise tollroad, and more work needed on the Newberg-Dundee Bypass. Three Macquarie entities under the name Oregon Transportation Improvement Group (OTIG) have been working with with HatchMottMacDonald technical advisers and Maunsell forecasters to evaluate the financial viability of the three projects on the southside of Portland OR. OTIG is bearing about 40% of the costs and Oregon DOT 60% under a project development agreement signed late 2005.

In a report to the state's transport policy body the Oregon Transportation Commission a Macquarie rep said the Sunrise tollroad proposal on the southeast fringe of the Portland metro area is not viable with tolls alone. Present traffic is insufficient and future traffic too uncertain to support the project costs which for the full 39km (24mi) could total close to $1 billion.

However OTIG report that toll lanes on I-205 South are viable. That involves adding one and two lanes per direction from I-5 to OR212/224.

The third project being evaluated the Newberg-Dundee Bypass to the southwest of Portland is potentially viable from a toll concession but more refinement and analysis of the project is needed. Major difficult issue to be resolved is placement of toll points:

- to toll both bypass users and into-town traffic which is viable but unpopular

- tolling just bypassers which is locally popular but doesn't raise enough revenue

see http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/OIPP/inn_whatsnew.shtml MORE TO COME perhaps

TOLLROADSnews 2007-01-26