By SUE RYAN
News staff writer
July 4, 2007

Caution tape fluttered to the ground Friday morning as Port of Hood River commissioner Don Hosford and Executive Director Michael McElwee cut the tape and officially opened four lanes over the Hood River Bridge.

“The new toll plaza will make a big improvement to area congestion,” said McElwee.

Drivers now have two lanes northbound and southbound to pay tolls. For now, the outside lanes are ticket-only.

While construction by Wildish Co. of Eugene may be just about complete, there still remains a lot to be done on the port’s $2.5 million investment that began last October. Besides the obvious construction and new toll plaza put into a place more than a week ago, the port will be adding the ability for drivers to pay their tolls electronically.

During the summer, a test group of commuters will be using automatic tolls through August. HNTB Engineering is overseeing the installation of the electronic system and the tolling software.

Drivers will have a card tag in their window that will be scanned and the toll will be automatically deducted from their account. That means they won’t have to stop to pay a toll and the goal is that aspect will not only make the system more convenient but faster. The group first has to work all the bugs out of the system before it will be offered to the general public. The port anticipates that could be in September.