Newberg Graphic Online

Regional bypass to return as private toll road?

Land use — Local businesses to explore Marion County route

• By: David Sale  
• Published: 10/9/2009 2:23:08 PM

Bypass
A new road would completely skirt Newberg and Dundee, taking commercial traffic directly from I-5 to Highway 18.

Can a privately-financed toll road prove a competitive alternate to the Newberg-Dundee Bypass?

That was the contention of Bob Youngman, who updated the case for a regional bypass crossing Marion County at the Dundee City Council’s Tuesday meeting.

“State law allows for parkways and tolling,” he said, explaining that the project, with an estimated cost of $260 million, would be able to proceed faster through private investment.

Among the interested parties, Youngman said, are McMinnville businesses Evergreen Aviation and Cascade Steel. Representatives from both companies did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The proposed four-lane road would connect Highway 18 near Dayton to a new Interstate-5 interchange near Hubbard, comprising some 480 acres of land, mostly in Marion County.

Tolling had initially been proposed as a revenue source for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, but met steep opposition when Australian engineering firm Macquarie announced that tolls on the existing Highway 99W route would also be necessary.

Youngman, however, argued that a direct route to Interstate-5 would provide sufficient inducement for area companies shipping products to use the toll road. He estimated fees at $2 to $3 for cars and $5 to $6 for trucks, with an exemption for agricultural producers within a three-mile radius, but said supporters have yet to carry out a detailed traffic study.

While private equity financing might offer greater inducement for landowners to sell (or lease) right-of-way than a state project could provide, construction would still face similar regulatory hurdles to those that led the Oregon Department of Transportation to abandon the idea, said Region 2 spokesman Adam Torgerson.

“Even with the support of property owners along the route, you would still have to secure permission from the Marion County Board of Commissioners to allow the necessary land use change — which they’ve not shown us a willingness to do,” he said.

Youngman, for his part, said he believes sufficient lobbying would secure the desired result: “Our engineering firm, MultiTech of Salem, has a vice-president who use to work for Marion County Public Works, so who better to shepherd the process?” he asked. “The feedback we’re getting is in favor of economic development.”

While a private road construction project would not have to comply with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) approval process, as is the case for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, construction would still be subject to federal oversight. For portions of the project such as a bridge over the Willamette River or a new freeway interchange, this could result in a lengthy and difficult approval process.

“Logistically, this sort of thing is a bigger process than most people realize,” Torgerson said, adding that ODOT stood ready to advise project backers. “In our own efforts, we have to proceed with the consent of local government partners — but we’d be interested in anything that helps improve transportation in the region.”

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