Press Releases

For Immediate Release

New FasTrak^® Lanes Debut Monday at San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Toll Plaza

Free Toll Incentives for New Customers Through August 31

CONTACTS:
John Goodwin, BATA, 510.817.5862
Jeff Weiss, Caltrans, 510.286.5543
BATA/MTC Public Information, 510-817-5757

OAKLAND, Calif., July 6, 2007 – Beginning Monday, July 9, FasTrak customers traversing the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge will enjoy a faster commuter as a result of the conversion of more cash/FasTrak lanes at the bridge’s toll plaza to FasTrak-only lanes. Conversely, the reduced number of cash/FasTrak lanes may mean longer delays for drivers who pay their tolls with cash, especially during peak traffic hours. Cash customers traveling to San Francisco International Airport via the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge should allow extra time.

During peak traffic hours (5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.), the two lanes to the far left of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge toll plaza will be designated high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for vehicles with two or more occupants, and the three adjacent lanes will be FasTrak-only lanes (see lane configuration diagram). During non-peak hours, the two HOV lanes will become FasTrak-only lanes, bringing to five the number of FasTrak-only lanes at the 10-lane toll plaza. The two lanes on the right side of the main toll plaza will be available for cash or FasTrak customers at all times, as will the three lanes in the so-called mini toll plaza located north of the main toll plaza. Cash customers are encouraged to use the mini toll plaza, which can be accessed via the far right lane of State Route 92.

Realignment at the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge toll plaza marks the first in a series of lane conversions by the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and Caltrans at Bay Area toll plazas this summer. Improved signs and extended FasTrak-only lanes will direct motorists to the appropriate lanes well in advance of the toll plazas. New changeable message signs will give BATA the flexibility to switch FasTrak-only lanes to cash/FasTrak lanes and back again, as traffic demands. The changes are part of a comprehensive plan adopted last year to increase toll plaza efficiency and expand use of electronic toll collection at the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges. There will be no lane changes at the Golden Gate Bridge, which is owned and operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

As an incentive, customers who pick up FasTrak toll tags at select Safeway stores or Costco warehouses, and open their accounts before August 31, can receive up to $10 in free tolls. For information on incentives for new FasTrak customers, please visit www.511.org, or call 511 and ask for ‘FasTrak’ at the first prompt. As more drivers sign up for FasTrak, traffic congestion and pollution from cars creeping through the toll plaza lines will continue to be reduced. FasTrak-only lanes can process three times as many cars per hour as lanes where drivers stop to pay cash.

Caltrans owns, operates and maintains the state highway system, including seven Bay Area toll bridges. BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the region's state-owned toll bridges. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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