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PORTLAND 鈥� Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek wants to scrap a plan to implement tolls on large sections of two Portland-area interstates.

Kotek on Monday sent a letter to the Oregon Transportation Commission, saying the Regional Mobility Pricing Project for Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 should be halted,聽.

The 鈥渟tate鈥檚 path toward implementing tolling in the Portland metro area is uncertain, at best,鈥� and the challenges associated with the plan 鈥渉ave grown larger than the anticipated benefits,鈥� Kotek stated in the letter.

鈥淭herefore, I believe it is time to bring the agency鈥檚 work on RMPP to an end,鈥� she wrote.

In 2017, the state Legislature directed the Oregon Department of Transportation to start exploring 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鈥檝e become clearer.

Kotek鈥檚 letter came a few weeks after a survey found a majority of Oregon voters opposed the Regional Mobility Pricing Project tolls,聽.

The move also came after the Oregon Department of Transportation produced a report on the equity impacts of tolling and the agency鈥檚 plan to mitigate the impacts on low-income Portlanders. Kotek wrote in her letter that the report showed 鈥渁 toll program which keeps toll rates low enough for working families and raises enough funding for major projects would fail to meet expectations for local project funding and revenue sharing.鈥�

The state transportation agency is facing funding challenges because of a projected decline in revenue from the state鈥檚 gas tax, and Kotek said she expects the Legislature to tackle that issue in the 2025 session.

The governor stated in the letter she is 鈥渃onfident that a more robust conversation on funding options will yield greater understanding and direction for our future moving forward.鈥�

Oregon Transportation Commission Chair Julie Brown and Vice Chair Lee Beyer, as well as Oregon Department of Transportation Director Kris Strickler, all released statements later Monday suggesting they agree with Kotek.

Portland-metro 鈥渓eadership views on tolling have changed鈥� and 鈥渓ocal and regional opposition to tolling makes clear that Oregon is not ready for regional tolling,鈥� Beyer stated.

鈥淚t is 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,鈥� Strickler stated.

Brown stated she looked forward to conversations about other funding sources but added that while she didn鈥檛 believe tolling should be the only tool to solve challenges, 鈥渁s a steward of our state鈥檚 transportation system, I believe it should be one of our tools.鈥�

Kotek stated this move should not impact the planned collection of toll revenue on the Interstate Bridge replacement as part of a multibillion-dollar project supported by federal funding.