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Portland Weighs 12 Dollar Monthly Transportation Fee as Road Repair Backlog Hits 6.6 Billion Dollars News By Diane Megaw On Mar 22, 2026 FILE - Portland City Hall | Photo by Seth Smigelski PORTLAND, Ore. — After Portland’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved a proposal to create a Transportation Utility Fee and a Street Damage Restoration Fee last week, the City Council is considering creating two new fees to help fund its Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). PBOT is currently facing a funding crisis, with a growing list of delayed projects and deteriorating roads. Tidings Data Snapshot How Far The New PBOT Fees Would Go $6.6B Current PBOT maintenance backlog 64% Busy streets rated poor or very poor $46.7M Top annual estimate from the utility fee $7.4M to $22.2M Annual range from the street damage fee $68.9M Top combined yearly revenue ~96 years Time to equal today’s backlog at the top rate, before new damage Source: Portland PBOT local transportation funding open house sections on funding challenges, utility fee, and street damage fee Dailytidings.com On Friday, the backlog of PBOT maintenance projects was valued at $6.6 billion, while 64% of busy streets are in poor or very poor condition . The two proposed transportation fees are: The committee gave preliminary approval to levy a Transportation Utility Fee at a rate of $12 per month on water and sewer bills of Portland residents. This would deliver an estimated $46.7 million annually. The Street Damage Restoration Fee, expected to deliver $7-$22 million annually, would be charged to utilities and other companies that excavate a roadway for any project, repair, or construction. Tidings Insight PBOT is shifting toward a utility style fee because gas tax revenue no longer keeps up with costs. The fee uses existing utility bills and is not tied to declining fuel consumption. The City Council will likely consider the fees in April. Multnomah County Portland Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email