December 3, 2019 9:30 a.m. 
Oregon’s gas tax will increase by two cents starting next January.
A release from the Oregon Department of Transportation said the change is the second of four planned increases tied to House Bill 2017, the “Keep Oregon Moving” legislation, which was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017.
A four cent a gallon increase took effect at the start of 2018. The release said that for the first time, lawmakers set requirements that ODOT and Oregon cities and counties must meet in order to trigger the increase.
The requirements that were met included two projects related to helping address congestion on Interstate 205. ODOT also worked with cities and counties to produce a website detailing the condition of the major roads and all Oregon bridges. The agency also had to provide a list of shovel-ready projects that could be constructed with additional funds and report on efforts to address congestion through a number of other projects in the Portland metro region.
The release said of the nearly $60 million this increase will raise, 20% goes to Oregon counties, 30% to Oregon cities, and 50% to ODOT. ODOT will use its share of the funds for maintenance, bridge, seismic, preservation and culvert projects.
At full implementation in 2024, Oregon’s gas tax will be 40 cents a gallon, which is still less than the gas tax in either Washington or California.