County adopts $19-a-year fee to replace Sellwood Bridge
Commissioners trying to find a way to pay for the $330 million project
Multnomah County commissioners unanimously approved a $19-a-year county vehicle registration fee Thursday to help replace the frail Sellwood Bridge.
Starting next year, most vehicle owners in the county will pay an additional $38 when they renew their two-year registration with the state, or when they register a new vehicle.
The new county fee will raise an estimated $127 million over 20 years, to cover part of the estimated $330 million price tag to replace the bridge.
Other funds will come from the state, city of Portland, and, potentially, federal funds and a smaller vehicle registration fee levied in Clackamas County. Clackamas County commissioners expect to consider a fee of perhaps $5 per year next spring.
Some have criticized the larger vehicle registration fee being levied by Multnomah County, which owns and operates the bridge, because a majority of traffic on the bridge originates in Clackamas County.
Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler said that many of those Clackamas County users are driving to jobs in Multnomah County or spending money in the county.
“There is no question that it has a disproportionate benefit for the citizens of Multnomah County,” Wheeler said prior to the final vote Thursday that created the new county vehicle registration fee.
Without a functioning Sellwood Bridge, traffic would spill onto the Ross Island and other Portland bridges, others have noted.
The Sellwood Bridge has become so degraded that Tri-Met buses and heavy trucks are banned from traversing it. Though fixing the bridge has been a top county priority for years, funding prospects were dismal — until the Legislature approved a major transportation package this spring.
Lawmakers, using a package of gas taxes and vehicle fees, approved $30 million to redo the intersection of Macadam Avenue with the western end of the Sellwood Bridge. More importantly, the Legislature granted special authority for Multnomah and Clackamas counties to enact county vehicle registration fees if the money is dedicated to the bridge project.
The Multnomah County vehicle fee will be levied on an estimated 577,000 vehicle owners, and be in place for 20 years.
There are exemptions for government-owned vehicles, school buses, motor homes and campers, farm vehicles, and vehicles belonging to disabled veterans.
The new Sellwood Bridge would have only two lanes of vehicle traffic, but would be fitted with streetcar tracks so the city of Portland can extend streetcar service over the bridge. There also would be ample space on both sides for bike paths and foot traffic, which is now highly restricted.
The bridge also would be strong enough to withstand Tri-Met buses and heavy trucks and meet modern earthquake-safety standards.