That didn’t take long.

A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, that declared the Antioch and Dumbarton bridges eligible for seismic retrofit dollars, the Bay Area agency in charge of tolls scheduled public hearings on fee hike to pay for the needed upgrades.

Where did you think the money was coming from?

Read on for details about the proposal and the hearing details.

OAKLAND, CA, October 13, 2009 – The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)’s Bay Area Toll Authority Oversight Committee at its next meeting on October 14 will begin considering a July 2010 toll increase on the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges to help finance seismic retrofit work on the Antioch and Dumbarton bridges, to offset higher borrowing costs, and to address a steady five-year decline in toll-paying traffic on the state-owned bridges.

Who: Bay Area Toll Authority Oversight Committee

What: A discussion of options to raise the toll rates on the seven state-owned Bay Area toll bridges.   A list of the bridges can be found here:  http://bata.mtc.ca.gov/bridges/index.htm

Among the options under consideration will be an increase of $1 to the current $4 base toll for   two-axle vehicles, increased tolls on a per-axle basis for multi-axle trucks and for vehicles towing trailers and various options to charge carpoolers a portion of the base toll.

A final decision on toll increases likely will not be made until January 2010 and is subject to        future public hearings.

When: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.

Meeting agenda and materials packet will be available at the meeting or online at            www.mtc.ca.gov at the time of the meeting.

Where: Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
Lawrence D. Dahms Auditorium
101 8th Street
Oakland, CA 94607