New FasTrak-Only Lane Being Added At Bay Bridge Toll Plaza
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Drivers approaching the Bay Bridge from Interstate 880 or West Grand Avenue and who use FasTrak to pay for tolls will be detoured this weekend, as Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority add a new FasTrak lane on the span.
"You'll be allowed to use the ramp that normally is marked on the weekends Bus Only," said John Goodwin with the Bay Area Toll Authority. "So you'll shift over to the right."
FasTrak-Only Lane Being Added To Bay Bridge
Three lanes at the right side of the Bay Bridge toll plaza, lanes 16, 17 and 18, will be closed starting Friday night at 9:00 p.m. and reopen on Monday, August 26 at 5:00 a.m. Goodwin said toll lane #17 is being converted to a FasTrak-only lane.
"It does get clogged up there during peak hours and if you're a FasTrak customer, you have to thread the needle a little bit," he said.
And it's not always easy to move lanes, especially during the morning and evening commute.
"We expect that to have a big impact on the commute coming toward the bridge," Goodwin said.
The toll booth will be permanently removed from lane #17 during the Labor Day weekend closure of the Bay Bridge.
The conversion concludes an effort by Caltrans and BATA to install a new automated toll collection and accounting system at the Bay Bridge toll plaza. Similar work has already taken place at the other state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
