The decision over whether or not to raise the toll prices on Bay Area bridges— including the Benicia-Martinez Bridge— rests in the hands of Bay Area voters. The Bay Area Toll Authority unanimously voted to place a measure to approve $3 in fees on all the Bay Area’s toll-operated bridges— minus the independently operated Golden Gate Bridge—for the June ballot.
The measure, known as Regional Measure 3 (RM 3), was developed last year as part of Senate Bill 595, authored by Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October. The money from the toll increases would be used to fund a variety of transportation projects throughout the Bay Area via a $4.45 billion expenditure plan, including expanding BART’s Silicon Valley service to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, constructing a direct freeway connector from northbound U.S. Route 101 to eastbound Interstate 580 in Marin County, adding more vessels to San Francisco’s ferry fleet, and improving Route 37 in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties.
If approved by a combined majority of voters in the Bay Area’s nine counties, commuters would begin to see a $1 increase in tolls beginning on Jan. 1, 2019. This would be followed by another $1 increase in 2022 and another in 2025. For two-axle vehicles traveling on the Benicia Bridge, this would lead to an $8 toll by 2025.
Jake Mackenzie, the chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, acknowledged in a statement that while the increase in tolls would be a turnoff for some voters, the long-term benefits would make up for it.
“Nobody likes higher tolls,” he said. “But nobody likes traffic jams or crush-loaded train cars either. The Bay Area has been blessed by several consecutive years of strong economic growth. But the price we’ve paid is the growing congestion on our freeways, railways, buses and ferries. If our region is going to maintain its economic leadership, we have to have to invest in projects that will keep businesses and their workers moving. Gov. Brown and the state Legislature deserve a lot of credit for shaping RM 3 into a comprehensive and integrated strategy that will modernize both our highways and our transit networks.”
In addition to the Benicia Bridge, other overpasses that would be affected include the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge in Vallejo, the Antioch Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge— which is operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District— would not be impacted by the toll increases.
If approved, this would be the third time Bay Area voters have said yes to toll increases for regional transportation improvement projects. Regional Measure 1, approved by voters in 1988, funded a variety of the projects, including constructing a new span of the Benicia Bridge plus rehabilitation of the original bridge and replacing the original 1927 span of the Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo with a new suspension bridge. Regional Measure 2, approved by voters in 2004, funded a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel and a seismic retrofit of the Transbay Tube in Oakland. For more information on Regional Measure 3, go to mtc.ca.gov/our-work/advocate-lead/regional-measure-3.
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When income and payroll taxes are included this measure will run costs to families in this area who cross the bridge to work $5000 per year. And the promises are all smoke and lies. While this regressive tax will hurt working families it won’t pay for a single project in their wish list and they admit that. Among the things proposed: more Clipper card readers for BART. How does that reduce traffic?
It is a scam for BART and the MTC to waste more money. Just think of the Bay Bridge fiasco while voting. Do you really want to give your hard earned money to these magic bean sellers?
Agree 100% Greg, but the problem is that the vast majority of people who will vote for this do not cross any of the 7 bridges that will be subjected to this toll increase. The State and various agencies have stated in the past that for this reason a toll increase is the easiest tax they can implement. Also in the fine print is that after the full $3 increase has been implemented tolls will then be tied to inflation meaning no more votes to increase the bridge tolls. It will become automatic.
Yes on both, it just makes it more of a challenge to defeat, as it is a big regressive tax imposed on a few, largely working people, that will not even pay for a single one of the wild promises that would help those in Silicon Valley who don’t use bridges.
It is a regressive tax on working people, being sold with smoke and lies by agencies with a record of waste and mismanagement (BART and MTC). How could anyone be against that?
My standard comeback to those who don’t cross a bridge when this comes up is to say we need to institute congestion pricing for those entering San Francisco or San Jose from surface streets. Something equivalent to the $5 soon to be $8 toll the rest of us have to pay. MTC is becoming the Northern California version of the MWD in Southern California.
Perhaps it is time for Vallejo, Benicia, Fairfield and Solano County to take formal positions opposing the toll hike. Plenty of reasons to protect their citizens. In fact Contra Costa and Alameda cities and counties should do the same.
We need to spread the word to not buy any good or services outside of Solano County. An $8 toll makes going to the mall in Fairfield more cost effective vs. Sun Valley or Hilltop Malls. Restaurants across the bridge need to know that they will lose our business for the extra $8 tax to patronize.
When they raised the toll to $5 I vowed to keep my tax dollars in Solano County, $8 will further entrench my stance.
I realize that folks have to cross the bridge to work, or bridges, but we can raise our economic voice.
None of the projects supported by this tax increase will go to anything in our county.
Agree 100% Dave. The sad thing is our elected state representatives and most of the elected city representatives in fact support this toll increase.
Senator Dodd was a key vote FOR this terrible tax.
Yes and another reason for Solano County Supervisors and Solano City Councils to go on record opposing this outrageous tax, that will cost working families $5000 per year just to cross the bridge to get to work, with the money going to the worst money wasting agencies for promises and lies.