Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll booths slated for removal

"The work to take out the booths, which are on the Richmond side of the westbound upper deck, is set to begin on Dec. 10, according to the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans owns the bridge and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission-Bay Area Toll Authority manages it. In a nutshell, the shift to ORT is to make both traffic flow and toll collection more efficient, said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, referring to open-road tolling. This is expected"

"Toll booths on the bridge haven't been used since 2020. The agency stopped cash collection in favor of FasTrak toll tags. The project on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first in a $318 million program to transition all seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area to open-road tolling. The projects are funded by bridge toll revenues. Traffic crosses the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to San Rafael, Calif. on Friday, Nov. 26, 2025. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)"

"After removing the toll booths, crews will install a temporary tolling system that will read FasTrak transponders and license plates for charging tolls. Workers also will restripe the toll plaza pavement. In the final step, expected to happen in 2027, crews will install a toll gantry, an overhead structure with mounted toll readers. The project is expected to provide better mobility and better times for motorists, said Matt O'Donnell, a spokesperson for Caltrans."

Preparations will remove obsolete toll booths from the Richmond side of the westbound upper deck beginning Dec. 10. Caltrans owns the bridge and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission-Bay Area Toll Authority manages tolling operations. The change to open-road tolling will use FasTrak transponders and license-plate reads to charge tolls, aiming to improve traffic flow, toll collection efficiency, safety and emissions. Toll booths have not been used since 2020 after cash collection ended. The Richmond-San Rafael project is the first step in a $318 million program to convert all seven state-owned Bay Area bridges to open-road tolling, funded by bridge toll revenues. Temporary tolling will precede installation of an overhead gantry in 2027.

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