Metropolitan Transportation Commission explores adding tolls to Bay Area freeways

One of the possibilities is a per-mile freeway toll, where someone would pay a toll based on the distance driven, similar to using electronic means like the Bay Area FasTrak system, according to MTC officials. It would be different from the state’s proposed vehicle miles traveled fee, which is envisioned as a replacement for the gas tax. No information on tolling costs or how and when implementation would occur has been decided, given the early nature of the idea.

“Pricing is a possibility, but not a forgone conclusion,” MTC staffer Alex Eisenhart said at a Nov. 29 MTC discussion on the study.

Eisenhart said traffic congestion on freeways is mounting and, eventually, there won’t be enough space. The organization is looking at ways to manage freeways better. Eisenhart said the user price of driving on freeways had been kept down for decades, increasing the usage demand for driving that can’t be met by supply.

He argued tolling is needed to curb driver behavior and find other alternatives. An MTC May staff report on the subject noted it could have a greater impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions than all of the plan’s transit projects combined.

“Pricing would help provide the means to invest in more sustainable, efficient transportation alternatives that will reduce cars on the road, directly benefiting drivers, while also addressing some of the lasting inequities of freeways,” Eisenhart said.

Called the Next Generation Bay Area Freeways Study, it looks at five transportation strategies to improve roads. The five options are per-mile freeway tolling, more seamless transit, regional rail expansion, express lanes, equity-priority enhancements and advancing climate policy. Caltrans is funding a portion of the study and is the owner and operator of the state highway system.

MTC officials noted pricing presents equity concerns for those who have no choice but to drive, and the study would better inform officials if it is feasible to move forward with freeway tolling. MTC wants to keep equity front and center for people in its decision-making. Officials said pricing could include discounts exemptions for certain types of people using the system. Other challenges include more traffic diversion to local streets.

MTC officials said the scope of the study also includes examining the potential removal of freeways to improve communities harmed by 20th-century transportation policy decisions. An MTC presentation noted cities like Buffalo have projects in the works to cover parts of a tunneled expressway with greenspace that hurt communities of color.

The organization wants the next generation of freeways to support communities of color negatively affected by 20th-century freeway and transportation policy, along with providing affordable, efficient and reliable roads. MTC noted congestion continues to rise, as traffic delay per auto commuter has increased at higher rates than the population increase. MTC staff said freeways often divided communities of color and increased deinvestment, something it is working to stop. MTC said a $110 billion funding gap would require new revenue sources to fund the policies.

The study is currently gathering public engagement from equity priority communities and developing an initial freeway pricing strategy. Equity priority communities are considered workers with low incomes, middle-income workers, super commuters, working parents with school-aged children, students, small business owners and rural residents. In 2023, MTC will prioritize strategies, identify potential freeway corridors and engage the community. A final proposal on freeway tolling feasibility will occur in the fall or winter.

People who want more information about the study can go to mtc.ca.gov/planning/transportation/regional-transportation-studies/next-generation-bay-area-freeways-study for more details. Those interested in providing input can send it to info@bayareametro.gov and reference the study in the body of the email.