By Bay City News Service:
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is holding a public hearing in San Rafael Wednesday evening on proposed incremental toll hikes on the bridge over the next five years.
The district is considering four options that would raise between $93 million and $138 million, depending on the option selected, to offset a $142 million budget shortfall over the next five years.
The toll increases would begin in April.
Under the proposals, the current $5 FasTrak toll would rise to $6.50 or to $7 by July 2018 and the current $6 pay-by-plate toll would rise to $8 by that same time.
Gradual toll increases could be less painful to commuters than larger hikes every five to 10 years, bridge officials said on the district's website.
The district relies on tolls, transit fares, grants, advertising and concessions for its revenue. Most of the revenue comes from tolls, Currie said.
Tolls also pay half the operating costs of the bus and ferry systems, Currie said. The bridge toll was last raised in 2008, when it went up by $1.
The bridge district held informal open houses on the toll-increase proposals in January in Petaluma, San Rafael and San Francisco.
Wednesday's formal public hearing will take place in San Rafael City Council chambers at 1400 Fifth Ave. in San Rafael at 7 p.m.
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