Page 2
March 20, 2024
Governor Kotek want Tolling Plan Scrapped
(AP) — Oregon Gov. Tina
Kotek wants to scrap a plan to im-
plement tolls on large sections of
two Portland-area interstates, she
said Monday.
Kotek sent a letter to the Ore-
gon Transportation Commission
on Monday saying the Regional
Mobility Pricing Project for Inter-
state 5 and Interstate 205 should
be halted, KGW-TV reported.
Kotek said in the letter that the
“state’s path toward implementing
tolling in the Portland metro area
is uncertain, at best,” and that the
challenges associated with the
plan “have grown larger than the
anticipated benefits.”
“Therefore, I believe it is time
to bring the agency’s work on
RMPP to an end,” she wrote.
In 2017, the state Legislature
directed the Oregon Department
of Transportation to start explor-
ing tolling as a traffic congestion
management tool that could be
part of a major transportation
funding package, but the plans
have drawn increasing criticism as
they’ve become clearer.
Kotek’s letter came a few
weeks after a survey found a ma-
jority of Oregon voters opposed
the Regional Mobility Pricing
Project tolls, KOIN-TV reported.
The move also came after the
Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation produced a report on the
equity impacts of tolling and the
agency’s plan to mitigate the im-
pacts on low-income Portland-
ers. Kotek wrote in her letter that
the report showed “a toll pro-
gram which keeps toll rates low
enough for working families and
raises enough funding for major
projects would fail to meet expec-
tations for local project funding
and revenue sharing.”
The state transportation agen-
cy is facing funding challenges
because of a projected decline in
revenue from the state’s gas tax,
and Kotek said she expects the
Legislature to tackle that issue in
the 2025 session.
The governor said in the let-
ter she is “confident that a more
robust conversation on funding
options will yield greater under-
standing and direction for our fu-
ture moving forward.”
Oregon Transportation Com-
mission Chair Julie Brown and
Vice Chair Lee Beyer, as well as
Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation Director Kris Strickler, all
released statements later Mon-
day suggesting they agree with
Kotek.
Beyer said “metro leadership
views on tolling have changed”
and “local and regional opposi-
tion to tolling makes clear that
Oregon is not ready for region-
al tolling.” Strickler said “it is
FILE - Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks during a signing ceremony in Washington, Feb. 23, 2024.
Kotek wants to scrap a plan to implement tolls on large sections of two Portland-area interstates,
she said Monday, March 11. The governor said that move should not impact the planned
collection of toll revenue on the interstate highway bridge between Oregon and Washington. (AP
Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
clear the toll program cannot
be designed in a way that meets
the needs expressed by our local
partners while also meeting the
needs of Oregonians statewide.”
Brown said she looked forward
to conversations about other fund-
ing sources but added that while
she didn’t believe tolling should
be the only tool to solve challeng-
es, “as a steward of our state’s
transportation system, I believe it
should be one of our tools.”
Kotek said this move should
not impact the planned collection
of toll revenue on the interstate
highway bridge between Oregon
and Washington that’s set to be
replaced as part of a multibil-
lion-dollar project supported by
federal funding.
Legacy Medical Center Completes Campus Expansion
Improving
Existing Spaces
for Patients,
Visitors, and Staff
Legacy Health announced the
completion of the first phase of
a $37 million expansion and im-
provement project for Legacy
Silverton Medical Center that
will add 21,000 square feet to the
existing hospital. The completion
of phase I renovations will be
marked by the opening of a newly
expanded and modernized emer-
gency department and a complete
redesign of the hospital entrance
and patient drop-off areas, among
other improvements.
The Legacy Silverton Medical
Center emergency department
will expand from twelve to twen-
ty spacious, modernized patient
rooms. Silverton Medical Center
anticipates seeing patients begin-
ning March 18 in the new larger
emergency department, offering
a state-of-the-art medical facil-
ity for the City of Silverton and
improving existing spaces for pa-
tients, visitors, and staff.
The new emergency depart-
ment will offer a full range of
Legacy Silverton Medical Center
capabilities, from a trauma treat-
ment bay to expanded rooms
designed to care for trauma and
cardiac patients. The emergency
department will also provide pa-
tient rooms with ample space to
accommodate women's services.
The new emergency department
will include airborne isolation
patient rooms and space opti-
mized for natural light with win-
dows that bring soothing views
of nature.
"Providing
high-quality
health care has been our top pri-
ority at Legacy Silverton Med-
ical Center for decades," said
Joe Yoder, President of Lega-
cy Silverton Medical Center.
"The award-winning care our
teams provide is why Legacy
Silverton Medical Center con-
sistently ranks among the top
hospitals in Oregon for patient
satisfaction. This construction
project positions us well both
now and into the future as we
look to ensure patients in the
mid-Willamette Valley can ac-
cess world-class health care
services close to home."
Silverton Hospital and Lega-
cy Health came together in 2016
with a shared vision and mission
of improving access to health
care services and a dedication
to community health. Legacy
Health pledged $58 million in
2016 to focus on three key areas:
physician recruitment, equipment
upgrades, and a new modernized
medical facility.
The completed renovations
also include a brand-new hospital
entrance with a covered drop-off/
pick-up zone that will shield pa-
tients and their families from the
weather as they enter the facility.
A beautiful new reception lob-
by includes registration stations,
private admitting booths, a newly
designed coffee shop, a gift shop,
and a volunteer greeter station, cre-
ating a tranquil setting for patients,
visitors, and staff.
The Silverton Family Birth
Center will gain a new family
waiting room, providing a calm-
ing and comfortable place for
expectant families awaiting their
new arrival.
A new helicopter landing pad
will allow air ambulances to safe-
ly land and transport critically
ill patients and babies. Patients
requiring access to higher-acuity
hospitals, such as Legacy Eman-
uel Medical Center or Randall
Children's Hospital in Portland
will be transported from a new
helipad located directly across
the street from Legacy Silverton
Medical Center.
Additionally, the expansion
project includes a new "All Faiths
Chapel" to welcome patients,
families, and staff for moments of
personal reflection and prayer.
The expansion of Legacy
Silverton Medical Center was
made possible in part due to the
generous support of corporate
and individual community do-
nors and the Silverton Health
Foundation Board.
Legacy is working on phase
II plans to meet the long-term
goal of continuing to serve the
community and grow health
care services in the area. Phase
II will continue this important
commitment to invest in the
health needs of Silverton and
the surrounding communities.