15 www.ortrucking.org Issue 3 | 2023 of the project. If both states accomplish this and the U.S. Department of Transportation accepts their application, then the remainder of the costs of the project could be covered by the federal government and tolls on the bridge. With the total cost projected to be at least $6 billion, this federal component is key. The Joint Interstate-5 Bridge Committee, which includes Washington and Oregon legislators, met in the 2022 interim, and in 2023, both states’ transportation committees worked to get a package across the finish line. Washington passed their plan before their session concluded in March, but Oregon’s road to success was bumpier. Oregon’s Joint Transportation Committee Co-Chair Susan McLain led the charge on the I-5 Bridge bill, HB 2098. She convened transportation stakeholders and agency officials to craft a bill that stated Oregon’s $1B commitment to the bridge. The bill received opposition from unions who opposed language ensuring non-union contractors would be able to bid on the project, as well as from the “No More Freeways” coalition, which wanted the size and scope of the project to be severely limited. Both proposals in the Joint Transportation Committee failed to move forward. However, at the end of session, when the Senate Republicans returned, the two most essential components of the bill were included in the budget and program change bills, which were passed through both chambers in the final days of session. This strengthens Oregon’s application to the U.S. DOT and will improve Oregon’s chances of securing federal funds. HIGHWAY COST ALLOCATION STUDY For more than 70 years, Oregon has based the financing of its highways on the principle of cost responsibility. Cost responsibility is the principle that those who use the public roads should pay for them and, more specifically, that users should pay in proportion to the road costs for which they are responsible. Every two years, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Office of Economic Analysis performs a Highway Cost Allocation Study (HCAS) to determine the proportional responsibility of light duty and heavy-duty vehicles for maintenance, preservation, and modernization costs of the state's highway system. The results of the study are used to set statutory taxes on light and heavy vehicles for the following biennium. Recent HCAS results have shown that trucking has been grossly overpaying for its use of the road, which is not surprising considering the increased use of high efficiency and zero emission vehicles as well as Oregon being the most expensive state in the nation to operate a trucking business. However, the HCAS does not take into account the broader perspective of previous HCAS results, nor does it include prospective considerations. To help remedy this imbalance, the Oregon Trucking Association worked with transportation committee members and leadership to revise the way the HCAS is conducted. The goal of the policy was to include an examination of the most recent study period and of a prospective study period based on projected data. The policy also directs the Department of Administrative Services to submit a report analyzing at least the three most recent iterations of HCAS to evaluate the proportionate share paid by users of each vehicle class.
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