SALEM, Ore. – The U.S. Department of Transportation last week awarded Oregon a grant of $2,315,000 to enhance Oregon’s existing road usage charge program (OReGO), as well as a $2,590,000 grant to implement a joint project with California that will integrate the states’ road charging programs. Both grants will help expand the state’s understanding of the technology used in the OReGO program and its ability to support local, state, regional and even national transportation funding needs.

“The principal method of funding the road system—the fuels tax—is not sustainable in the long-term because of the much-improved efficiency of vehicles,” explained Maureen Bock, OReGO Program Manager. “Economists expect this trend to continue and for the gap in road funding to get much worse over the next several decades. An alternative to the gas tax is needed to ensure all drivers pay their fair share of road costs.”