New FasTrak(TM)-Only Lanes to Open at Bay Bridge

'Mini-Plaza' Conversion to Make Travel Faster

OAKLAND, Calif., June 7 -- The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) later this month will add three more FasTrak(TM)-only lanes to the Bay Bridge toll plaza. On Monday, June 27, Caltrans will convert lanes #18, #19 and #20 -- which pass through the "mini-plaza" north of the main toll plaza -- for exclusive use by vehicles equipped with FasTrak(TM) electronic toll collection transponders. Tolls on these lanes currently can be paid with cash or FasTrak(TM).

The move to add three new FasTrak(TM)-only lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza was announced this morning by Caltrans District Director Bijan Sartipi at a ceremony in San Francisco to celebrate the opening of a new FasTrak(TM) customer service center at 475 Embarcadero (at Broadway) (for more information, please see June 7, 2005 news release from MTC, Caltrans and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District).

The new FasTrak(TM)-only lanes are designed to reduce travel times for motorists with FasTrak(TM) transponders who approach the bridge from Interstate 880. Existing FasTrak(TM)-only lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza are easily accessible to motorists coming from Interstates 80 or 580, but FasTrak(TM) users approaching the bridge from northbound Interstate 880 have not had convenient access to a dedicated FasTrak(TM) lane.

"FasTrak(TM)-only lanes can handle about three times as many vehicles per hour as lanes where drivers stop to pay cash," explained Albert Yee, Deputy Director of Operations for Caltrans District 4.

"It's likely that bridge users, particularly those who approach the toll plaza from Interstate 880, will initially experience some additional delays, especially during peak periods. These delays are expected to decrease as more motorists sign up for FasTrak(TM) and as drivers become familiar with the new lane configuration. Therefore, I would encourage everyone to sign up for FasTrak(TM) as soon as possible," added Yee.

FasTrak(TM) transponders are available free of charge. Motorists can enroll online by going to www.511.org and clicking on the FasTrak(TM) icon. To request an application form by phone, just call 511 and say "FasTrak(TM)" at the main menu. Motorists who open an account will receive their free transponder in approximately seven to 10 business days. Currently, about 420,000 FasTrak(TM) accounts are open in the Bay Area, and some 580,000 vehicles are outfitted with FasTrak(TM) transponders.

The conversion of the three-lane "mini-plaza" at the Bay Bridge toll plaza is part of a continuing effort by MTC and Caltrans to increase FasTrak(TM) use on the Bay Area's toll bridges. Eleven of the 70 toll lanes at the region's seven state-owned toll bridges currently are reserved for FasTrak(TM) users.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), which is directed by the same policy board as MTC, administers both $1 base toll on the San Francisco Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges and the $1 toll approved by voters in 2004 through Regional Measure 2.

Caltrans owns, operates and maintains seven Bay Area toll bridges and is responsible for administration and oversight of the $1 seismic surcharge.