Bay Area bridge toll hikes edge closer to approval

Transportation officials appear ready to endorse a five-year plan to raise tolls on the seven-state owned bridges in the Bay Area, including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, to help keep up with climbing maintenance costs.

The Bay Area Toll Authority heard public comments this week on the proposal, which is designed to bring in around $300 million in additional toll revenue by 2030. The funds are needed to support $1.9 billion capital improvement program. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal next month.

“The bridges are extremely well-maintained and we want to keep them that way,” Andrew Fremier, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which manages the state-owned bridges, told its commissioners on Wednesday. “But toll bridge revenues that can be used for operations maintenance and rehabilitation has not kept up with need. In fact, the opposite is true: Inflation has whittled away at the purchasing power of the portion of tolls.”

The proposal is separate from Regional Measure 3, the 2018 ballot measure that raised tolls to support highway and transit projects to reduce traffic. The last increase from that voter-approved toll hike takes effect Jan. 1, raising the price to cross bridges to $8 for most drivers.

The new proposal would raise tolls for all drivers to $8.50 starting January 2026 on the Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges.

The way the new proposal is structured, FasTrak users will see a discounted rate starting in 2027 compared to drivers who have a license plate account or who receive an invoice in the mail.

The tiered pricing is designed to align with the Golden Gate Bridge model that encourages drivers to pay electronically with FasTrak transponders. The toll readers have a lower administrative cost than payments through license plate accounts or the mail.

FasTrak users would see an increase to $9 in 2027, $9.50 in 2028, $10 in 2029 and $10.50 in 2030. Tolls would be even higher for vehicles without transponders.

Derek Hansel, chief financial officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said bridge traffic is below the projections made before the pandemic, and construction costs have risen more than 30% in the past four years.

Since 2021, the authority has needed to borrow about $560 million to keep up with maintenance. If the agency continues to debt-finance, staff anticipate the need for around $600 million over the next five years.

The proposed toll hike would raise about $60 million of additional revenue in the first year and about $300 million annually in 2030.

In addition to the toll increase, the Bay Area Toll Authority is proposing a uniform three-person occupancy requirement for half-price tolls during weekday commute periods — 5 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. — on all state-owned bridges. This would also begin in 2026.

The update would allow vehicles with two occupants and a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the “2” position to use the carpool lanes on the approaches to the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges. However, these vehicles do not receive a toll discount.

The use of carpool lanes on approaches to the Bay Bridge still would require a minimum of three occupants.

Some residents who called into the meeting Wednesday supported the plan, saying the bridges are vital for the region. Others expressed concerns about inequity and the burden that raising tolls place on commuters who use bridges frequently, if not daily. The new proposal would increase tolls up to $11.50 for some users by 2030.

“Knowing that there is another bridge toll increase looming in 2025, I was upset to hear about this measure to pass additional costs onto commuters who are just trying to get to their jobs, to pay bills, support families,” said Daniella Tobey, a Contra Costa County resident.

It’s a point that Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, a Bay Area Toll Authority commissioner, suggested could be addressed.

“I agree with my colleagues about the importance of maintaining our bridges in good repair,” Moulton-Peters said. “I wonder if there is any kind of a frequent flyer discount we might look into.”

Officials plan to put the matter to a vote on Dec. 18. Public comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. Dec. 3 to be included in the staff presentation for that meeting. Comments can be sent by email to info@bayareametro.gov.

The Golden Gate Bridge, which is not among the state-owned bridges, raised tolls in July from $8.75 to $9.25 for FasTrak users and up to $12.25 for some two-axle drivers. The rate will increase 50 cents annually through 2028. The program is expected to net an additional $139 million in revenue to help narrow a projected $220 million five-year deficit attributed to the pandemic.