WHY WAS THE TOLL INCREASED TO $5.00 IN 2002?
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.
