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Golden Gate Bridge Crossings Up 1-Million Last Year

KCBS_740 SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The Golden Gate Bridge has seen a dramatic increase in crossings last year, compared with the year before.

"We've had about a million more vehicles cross the road this past year," Bridge Spokeswoman Priya Clemens said.

The Bridge District says the Bay Area's improved economy is responsible for the uptick from 2014-2015. Lower gas prices could be a factor as well.

Bridge officials have been changing lane configurations to keep traffic flowing smoothly, and keep on pace with the increased demand.

The Bridge District operates a fleet of ferries that cross the Bay, and ridership on those is up as well.

"We are at capacity on the ferries. We simply don't have the space to add more riders," Clemens said.

Meanwhile, the district's fleet of buses has seen a decline in ridership over the same period. That decline may be linked to a driver shortage that led to widespread delays in the system throughout the day.

"We had several route cancellations," Clemens said.

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