Traffic & Toll Data

Traffic Data

Highs & Lows

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.

Safety

Today, 39 million vehicles cross the Golden Gate Bridge. 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.

Toll Data

FasTrak on the Golden Gate Bridge

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. Visit the FasTrak website at bayareafastrak.org for more information.

Annual Vehicle Crossings and Toll Revenues

Monthly Traffic Crossings

Toll History

The following is a chronology of Golden Gate Bridge tolls from the opening of the Bridge in 1937 to the present for two-axle vehicles.