PORTLAND, Ore. - Northeast 62nd Avenue in Portland near Prescott Street is not exactly out in the boonies.

The roar of jet airplanes from the nearby Portland International Airport wraps around the rows of tidy family homes lining the street, and nearby are convenience stores, coffee shops, schools and parks.

But driving down Northeast 62nd is like living in the corner of a rural county.

The road is unpaved and rife with deep potholes. Cars creep slowly down the road, bouncing and swaying as they navigate the minefield of chuckholes.

A block away, the pavement is smooth and traffic is zipping past.

It's just one of the roads on a long list of Portland roadways that need attention from the city, which is sitting on a backlog of over $420 million in needed repairs.

Each year, the total rises by $9 million, according to City Commissioner Sam Adams.

Now, Adams is going to hold meetings to try and put together more than $250 million needed for improvements.

Recent high-profile projects like the Naito Parkway and Sandy Boulevard construction were paid for with state and federal dollars.

Adams is considering drawing funds from a long list of options, including state and local gas taxes, a possible state sales tax, multiple fees and even a parking space tax and an inefficient vehicle tax, commonly known as a Hummer tax.

Most of the ideas would be new taxes.

Back on potholed Northeast 62nd Avenue, Bill Juarez is driving his work van down the street. It bounces and bottoms out against the road, threatening to spill sprinkler system supplies from the top of his van.

"It's like a roller coaster," Juarez laughs, "we need better roads."

Adams is planning multiple meetings to address problems in different parts of the city.