The Bay Bridge and other crossings around the region are going cashless as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, officials said. The Golden Gate Bridge has been cash-free since 2013.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge links the cities of Oakland and San Francisco and crosses the San Francisco Bay along I-80. Drivers pay tolls in the westbound direction at the eastern side of the bridge.
To use Bay Area bridges without a toll tag or License Plate Account, you may set up a short-term, one-time payment account that allows you to pay recent or future tolls online with a credit card, or with cash, check or money order at a FasTrak retail location.
The Golden Gate Bridge links the City of San Francisco with the County of Marin along U.S. Route 101. Drivers pay tolls in the southbound direction, on the south end of the bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge Tolls Rates
| Number of Axles (see chart) | FasTrak Toll | Toll Invoice |
|---|
| 2 Axles/ Motorcycles | $7.70 | $8.70 |
| 3 Axles | $23.10 | $26.10 |
| 4 Axles | $30.80 | $34.80 |
| 5 Axles | $38.50 | $43.50 |
Bay Area toll bridges
| Base toll | Carpool toll (Fastrak required) |
|---|
| Bay Bridge | $5 weekday off peak and $6 weekend | $3 |
| Benicia – Martinez Bridge | $6 | $3 |
| Carquinez Bridge | $6 | $3 |
| Dumbarton Bridge | $6 | $3 |
The William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, known as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, is widely considered the single scariest bridge in America — and it instills fear in the thousands of Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC, drivers who use it every day.
Chesapeake Bay BridgeDue to the bridge's significant height above open water and length of the bridge, many drivers have reported having panic attacks while driving across the bridge, including their vision tunneling and fearing a complete loss of control of their vehicles.
After the rods broke in March, the oversight group commissioned a review from metallurgists hired by Caltrans and the bridge builders. Based on the consultants' work, the July oversight document largely concluded that the rods became brittle because hydrogen atoms entered the steel during manufacturing.
If you plan to travel down Virginia's Eastern Shore to get to the beach this summer, you might drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The depth of the water ranges from 25 to 100 feet, according to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission.
According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, the best times to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge during the peak summer season are: Fridays before 10:00 a.m and after 10:00 p.m. Saturdays before 7:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. Sundays before 10:00 a.m. and after 10:00 p.m.
Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is one of the most notoriously frightening bridges in the country.
If you'd like to avoid crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, consider this alternative route:
- Take I-70 east toward Baltimore.
- Take Exit 91A for I-695 south.
- Take Exit 11B for I-95 N.
- Follow I-95 north into northern Delaware.
- Take Exit 4A, marked "Christiana Mall," onto Delaware Route 1, south toward Dover.
Each trip takes two people: The main driver slides into your driver's seat and drives your car across the bridge (with you in the passenger seat or back seat), while the second Kent Island Express worker follows over the span in another car (and transports the main driver back).
Bay Bridge goes cashless: What you need to know if you don't have an E-Z Pass. However, the cashless tolling on the Bay Bridge will remain in place permanently. During the COVID-19 emergency, drivers with E-Z Pass pay $2.50, while those who do not have a transponder will pay $4.00 and receive a bill in the mail.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is officially going cashless. In mid-March the authority eliminated the cash option, on a temporary basis, at the Bay Bridge and all tolling facilities in the state to eliminate interaction between drivers and toll collectors and to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tolls are automatically deducted from the prepaid account when the customer passes through a toll facility that accepts E-Z Pass. For more information on E-ZPass usage on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, please click here.
