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There is another way to force ODOT to listen to us, IP-4, the Vote Before Tolls initiative. It's not too late, IP-4 is retroactive to 2018 so it absolutely covers the local I-5 & I-205, regional PDX metro area, and statewide tolling, including the Columbia River I-5 bridge crossing. We need YOUR signature to get this on the ballot. Learn more here: https://VoteBeforeTolls.org

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Oregon is to receive approximately $4.3 Billion from the national infrastructure bill for highways, bridges, tunnels and transit. It seems that this would be enough to cover the work that needs to be done on the freeways and bridges. It is to be used to increase safely, decrease congestion and emissions. What am I missing? As a resident of the Pete’s Mtn area of West Linn, it seems we are being hit pretty hard by the tolling plan. We will pay tolls to go just about anywhere, our neighborhoods will become congested with cars, trucks, and now buses and polluted with emissions, and we will be the ones to pay for “mitigations” that will increase our travel time. As mentioned in an earlier podcast, restaurants and businesses in Willamette and Oregon City will suffer, locals won’t want to deal with the added traffic. Not only our pocketbooks, but our daily lives as well will be affected. Low income groups will get discounted tolls, the wealthy won’t care, so the middle class will once again carry the financial burden. The fact that tolling appears completely unnecessary with all the money coming to the state to cover this very type of project, just seems like ODOT had a plan to get forever income, and they’re sticking with it.

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