The California Transportation Commission unanimously approved a new toll for a portion of Highway 37 in the North Bay Wednesday.
The section is about 10 miles of highway between Mare Island in Vallejo and the junction with State Route 121 at Sears Point in Sonoma County.
Transit officials say the money from the toll will be used to expand the corridor with the goal of reducing driving time. Right now, traffic adds about 30 more minutes for drivers heading west in the morning and up to 80 minutes in the afternoon for those going east.
Hwy. 37 connects Marin and Solano counties and traffic is usually bumper to bumper for the more-than-40,000 commuters who use it each day.
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“There is just a single lane in each direction and the result of that single lane is crushing congestion that is adding, on a typical day, 30 minutes to folks’ morning commute, westbound, and an hour or longer in the afternoon heading back to Solano County,” said John Goodwin of MTC and Bay Area Toll Authority.
Each direction currently only has one lane so the plan is to convert each existing lane to a carpool lane and convert existing shoulders to new traffic lanes.
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Commuters are upset, saying many people drive that route precisely to avoid paying a toll they can’t afford.
“I feel like it’s just another way to stick it to people,” said driver Kenni Smith. “I don’t know how people are even gonna be able to pay their bills with an additional cost like that. Especially after COVID, so many people aren’t back on their feet.”
This is expected to cost some $430 million. The agencies are waiting for funding to start construction and if all goes well, it would begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission said that by 2025, the toll rate will be $8, the same as Bay Area state-owned bridges. The difference is that drivers might be charged in both directions, so, $4 each way.
“They’re literally tolling out everything right now. At this point people are already struggling here in the Bay Area to pay and make a home for their families. I think that’s just kind of a bit much. I don’t like it,” said driver Larnie Boyd. “Forty dollars a week, that doesn’t seem like a lot for some but that is a lot for many people that live here.”
Officials say drivers will not start paying tolls until:
- The new lanes are open to traffic
- Bus service from Vallejo and Marin County is established
- A toll discount program for lower income drivers is in place
