Press Releases

For Immediate Release:

Bay Area Toll Authority to Hold Public Hearings on Proposed Seismic Surcharge for Local Toll Bridges October 12 & November 2

Contact:

Randy Rentschler 510.817.5780
Patrick Hannan 510.817.5739

OAKLAND, Calif., October 6, 2005 . . . The Bay Area Toll Authority will host public hearings at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 12 and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2 at the Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter at 101 Eighth Street in Oakland to receive public testimony on a proposal to increase the seismic surcharge toll by one dollar on the seven state-owned Bay Area bridges. The affected spans are the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Mateo-Hayward and San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges.

As authorized by the California Legislature and the governor, the toll increase would be used to complete the toll bridge seismic retrofit program. The Bay Area Toll Authority is scheduled to consider the proposal in January 2006 and, if approved, the increase would take effect January 1, 2007.

The proposal would increase bridge tolls for the typical two-axle automobile from $3 to $4. Tolls on heavier, multi-axle vehicles would increase in proportion to the current base toll:

three-axle vehicle tolls would increase from $5 to $6, four-axle vehicle tolls would increase from $7.25 to $8.25, five-axle vehicle tolls would increase from $10.25 to $11.25, six-axle vehicle tolls would increase from $11 to $12, and seven-axle (or greater) vehicle tolls would increase from $12.50 to $13.50.

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) administers tolls on the region’s seven state-owned bridges. 1997 state legislation authorized the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), acting as BATA, to administer the base $1 toll on the Bay Area state-owned toll bridges. BATA’s responsibilities were expanded in recently enacted legislation to consolidate all toll revenues under BATA administration and management.

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