Oregon Bypass backers say they won’t quit

Monday, February 5, 2007 10:21 AM PST

McMINNVILLE (AP) — Backers of a toll road through Oregon’s wine country say they haven’t given up on the idea despite mounting opposition to charging drivers on highways that currently are free.

Tolls have been suggested as a means of building the 11-mile Newberg-Dundee Bypass, and the state brought in an Australian company that specializes in private toll roads to study the bypass and two other projects.

The bypass would be designed to relieve congestion on Oregon 99W, but one question at the heart of the debate is whether to charge tolls not only on the new bypass but also on the existing road.

A recent state estimate put the cost of the bypass at upward of $500 million, and state officials say there’s no traditional source of money for such work.

The Australian company, Macquarie Infrastructure Group, said at the outset that projects it was looking at wouldn’t be feasible if there were free alternatives such as 99W for drivers to use to avoid paying tolls.

ADVERTISEMENT

But the idea of charging for driving on highways built long ago has aroused political opposition and prompted signs all along Highway 99W. Two bills have been introduced in the current legislative session to curb the use of tolls.

Yamhill County Commissioner Leslie Lewis told the McMinnville News-Register she’s ready to declare dual tolling dead, but not bypass tolling or bypass construction.

She said she was confident a way would be found to get the bypass built.

A longtime ally of hers, Republican Sen. Gary George of Newberg, has supported the anti-tolling legislation and said he thinks the bypass idea may be kaput.

‘‘I think this thing is dead, particularly using private companies to do it,’’ he said. ‘‘I personally believe it’s dead.’’

Bob Andrews, new mayor of Newberg, said he was ‘‘cautiously optimistic’’ about the legislation. He said he doesn’t believe either of the anti-tolling bills would necessarily spell doom for the project, although they add uncertainty and potential difficulty.

‘‘If we don’t toll everything, does that kill the bypass? I don’t think it kills the bypass, but it does cause us to step back and take another look at it,’’ he said.