Can Washington and Oregon please declare a truce? The latest cross-Columbia River skirmish involves a unilateral Oregon proposal to charge tolls on I-5 and I-205 within that state. The Washington side suspects that it’s a ruse to make Washington residents pay for improvements in Oregon.
This them-versus-us attitude won’t help remedy the crisis-level traffic congestion that gets worse by the day. A bistate commission or authority is needed and overdue.
Adequate federal funding is in doubt, and the states have spending needs far beyond the Portland-Vancouver region.
Charging tolls in both states would equitably affect those who actually use the roads and would create a reserve to be put toward new and improved facilities.
Nobody likes paying more, but maintenance and construction come at enormous dollar cost. Whether through tolls or other means, it’s going to cost more to cross the river. The two states are going to have to figure it out, together.
