Traffic/Toll Data
-
Annual Crossings Since 1973, by Fiscal Year
-
Annual Toll Revenues Since 1973, by Fiscal Year
-
FasTrak on GGB
-
Traffic Highs & Lows
-
Bridge Closures Due To Weather
-
Traffic Safety
-
Toll History
-
2002 toll increase to $5
Annual Crossings Since 1973, by Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year (July 1 - June 30) |
Total Annual Crossings (northbound and southbound) |
| 1973-74 | 32,824,780 |
| 1974-75 | 33,333,798 |
| 1975-76 | 34,871,856 |
| 1976-77 | 35,378,544 |
| 1977-78 | 36,031,236 |
| 1978-79 | 36,723,760 |
| 1979-80 | 35,531,296 |
| 1980-81 | 36,328,906 |
| 1981-82 | 35,752,524 |
| 1982-83 | 36,990,000 |
| 1983-84 | 38,519,000 |
| 1984-85 | 36,631,000 |
| 1985-86 | 40,489,000 |
| 1986-87 | 42,220,000 |
| 1987-88 | 43,458,000 |
| 1988-89 | 43,392,000 |
| 1989-90 | 43,901,000 |
| 1990-91 | 42,819,000 |
| 1991-92 | 41,445,000 |
| 1992-93 | 40,860,000 |
| 1993-94 | 40,976,000 |
| 1994-95 | 40,715,000 |
| 1995-96 | 41,267,000 |
| 1996-97 | 41,367,000 |
| 1997-98 | 41,381,800 |
| 1998-99 | 41,943,800 |
| 1999-00 | 42,465,300 |
| 2000-01 | 42,167,748 |
| 2001-02 | 40,694,792 |
| 2002-03 | 38,856,556 |
| 2003-04 | 38,881,684 |
| 2004-05 | 38,796,706 |
| 2005-06 | 38,952,378 |
| 2006-07 | 39,516,006 |
Annual Toll Revenues Since 1973, by Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year (July 1 - June 30) |
Total Revenue |
| 1973-74 | $ 9,458,892 |
| 1974-75 | $ 12,455,458 |
| 1975-76 | $ 12,938,278 |
| 1976-77 | $ 12,947,397 |
| 1977-78 | $ 15,890,977 |
| 1978-79 | $ 17,461,538 |
| 1979-80 | $ 17,044,037 |
| 1980-81 | $ 18,824,231 |
| 1981-82 | $ 21,122,488 |
| 1982-83 | $ 22,538,225 |
| 1983-84 | $ 23,695,501 |
| 1984-85 | $ 24,430,950 |
| 1985-86 | $ 25,009,522 |
| 1986-87 | $ 26,188,035 |
| 1987-88 | $ 26,995,767 |
| 1988-89 | $ 30,460,808 |
| 1989-90 | $ 37,974,294 |
| 1990-91 | $ 38,668,744 |
| 1991-92 | $ 52,764,409 |
| 1992-93 | $ 54,603,270 |
| 1993-94 | $ 54,890,757 |
| 1994-95 | $ 55,036,868 |
| 1995-96 | $ 57,259,004 |
| 1996-97 | $ 57,475,737 |
| 1997-98 | $ 57,602,148 |
| 1998-99 | $ 58,452,829 |
| 1999-00 | $ 59,368,792 |
| 2000-01 | $ 59,180,029 |
| 2001-02 | $ 59,518,943 |
| 2002-03 | $ 79,427,334 |
| 2003-04 | $ 84,419,500 |
| 2004-05 | $ 84,213,058 |
| 2005-06 | $ 84,746,887 |
| 2006-07 | $ 84,970,839 |
In 1972, the District began to pioneer development of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems aimed at increasing traffic flow by reducing toll transaction time. ETC systems utilize an electronic device mounted on the vehicle which sends a signal to a computer in the toll booth. The toll is then deducted from an account maintained by the motorist.
Working closely with the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the District conducted extensive ETC research and development. By 1990, with ETC technology sufficiently advanced, the District had $1 million budgeted for ETC on the Golden Gate Bridge. However, before the ETC system could be purchased, in September 1990, California Senate Bill 1523 was passed requiring the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to prepare ETC specifications for all California bridges and toll roads, including the Golden Gate Bridge.
FasTrak, the ETC system utilized on the Golden Gate Bridge, officially opened to the public on July 13, 2000. For more information about FasTrak, click here.
Golden Gate Bridge FasTrak Usage
On Monday, January 4, 1982, a devastating rain storm struck the San Francisco Bay Area. Earth slides and flooding covered the highway and roads north of the Bridge. As a result, on January 5 and 6, there was very little vehicle traffic across the Bridge. On Wednesday, January 6, only 3,921 southbound vehicles crossed the Bridge. This compares to the average daily southbound count of 37,936 for January 1982.
During the evening commute on October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake jarred the Bay Area with a force measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale. The Golden Gate Bridge withstood, undamaged, the most devastating quake to strike the Bay Area since 1906. During this time of myriad traffic problems, extra bus and ferry trips were added to help smooth the commute as a flood of 30,000 to 40,000 drivers were diverted from the East Bay to Highway 101 and the Golden gate Bridge due to the failure of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge. On October 27, 1989, an all-time record of 162,414 vehicles crossed the Bridge north and southbound.
Bridge Closures Due To Weather
The Golden Gate Bridge has been closed due to weather conditions only three times:
-
As gusting winds reached 69 miles per hour on December 1, 1951, the Bridge was closed for only three hours. A team of engineers inspected the entire Bridge for damage and declared it structurally sound. The did, however, recommend that lateral bracing be installed. In 1954, the project was completed and the wind stability of the Bridge was increased by 35 percent.
-
On December 23, 1982, high winds of up to 70 miles per hour closed the Bridge for almost two hours. The Bridge easily withstood the gusts.
-
On December 3, 1983, once again high winds closed the Bridge for the longest period in its history, 3 hours and 27 minutes. Wind gusts reached 75 miles per hour, but again the Bridge suffered no structural damage.
The Bridge has been closed very briefly on separate occasions for visiting dignitaries President Franklin D. Roosevelt and president Charles de Gaulle of France. It has also been closed briefly in the middle of the night for construction activities.
More than 41 million vehicles cross the Golden Gate Bridge annually. The District works closely with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and other local law enforcement agencies to ensure a high standard of traffic safety. The speed limit was reduced from 55 mph to 45 mph on October 1, 1983, to reduce the potential for critical accidents. Further, since 1983, the CHP has provided increased traffic safety enforcement on the Bridge and its approaches. On September 13, 1996, the Bridge was designated a double-fine zone to aid in enforcement of the 45 mph speed limit. Since then, accidents on the span have been significantly reduced.
The following is a chronology of Golden Gate Bridge Tolls from the opening of the Bridge to the present for two-axle vehicles.
|
Date |
Toll |
| May 23, 1937 | 50 cents each way, $1 roundtrip, with a 5 cent charge if more than three passengers |
| July 1, 1950 | 40 cents each way |
| February 1, 1955 | 30 cents each way |
| October 1, 1955 | 25 cents each way |
| October 19, 1968 | 50 cents southbound toll, free northbound |
| March 1, 1974 | 75 cents southbound toll, free northbound |
| November 1, 1977 | $1 southbound toll, free northbound |
| March 1, 1981 | $1.25 southbound toll, free northbound |
| December 1, 1981 | $2 southbound toll on Fridays and Saturdays, $1 on all other days, free northbound |
| January 1, 1989 | $2 southbound toll seven days per week, with a 38% discount available when purchasing a book of 16 tickets for $20 (effective toll of $1.25), free northbound |
| June 11, 1989 | $2 southbound toll seven days per week with a 17% discount available when purchasing a book of 12 tickets for $20 (effective toll $1.66), free northbound |
| July 1, 1991 | $3 southbound toll seven days per week, with a 26% discount available when purchasing either a book of 9 tickets for $20 or a book of 18 tickets for $40 (effective toll $2.22), free northbound |
| July 1, 1992 | $3 southbound toll seven days per week, with a 17% discount available when purchasing either a book of 8 tickets for $20 or a book of 16 tickets for $40 (effective toll $2.50), free northbound |
| July 1, 1995 | $3 southbound toll seven days per week, with an 11% discount available when purchasing a book of 15 tickets for $40 (effective toll $2.67), free northbound |
| July 13, 2000 | $3 southbound toll seven days per week, with an 11% discount available when using a book of 15 tickets for $40 (effective toll $2.67) or FasTrak electronic toll; free northbound |
| November 15, 2000 | $3 southbound toll seven days per week, with an 11% discount available when using FasTrak electronic toll (effective toll $2.67); free northbound |
| July 1, 2001 | $1.50 per axle |
| September 1, 2002 | For two-axle vehicles: $5.00 cash toll: $4.00 FasTrak. Toll for multi-axle vehicles is $2.50 per axle |
For over ten years, the Golden Gate Bridge toll remained a constant $3. During that time, Bay Area inflation eroded the buying power of those dollars by 3.4 percent annually, while fuel, insurance, and other non-directly controllable expenses increased by an average of 5.5 percent annually. Labor costs increased approximately 5.3 percent annually and the federal government¹s funding of key capital projects, such as the seismic retrofit, decreased substantially. Now 65 years old, the Bridge requires more significant rehabilitation to maintain structural integrity than in previous years. These factors, combined with the current economic recession, security challenges and an overall drop in travel, accelerated the need for local funds.
Currently, 50 percent of bus and ferry operations are funded by Bridge tolls, with another 30 percent coming from transit fares, and the remainder being met by federal and state subsidies. While many Bay Area counties have enacted local sales taxes to support public transit, Marin and Sonoma counties have not. Further, the Golden Gate Bridge District does not have the authority to levy taxes. Therefore, the use of surplus Bridge toll revenue has been the only local means available to support financial shortfalls of the operation of the District's bus and ferry services.
Responding to the need for local funds, the Board of Directors authorized staff to conduct an analysis of the potential environmental and economic impacts of 12 different toll options including a "no change" option. On May 23, 2002 the Board selected three of the options for further review. Staff sought public input on the options and conducted a public outreach program including open houses, presentations, and a public hearing. After considering all public comments, the Board of Directors voted on June 27, 2002 to increase the cash toll to $5 and the FasTrak toll to $4. Motorcycles and carpools are free during carpool hours.