Why does it cost so much to cross the Golden Gate Bridge?

Tolls have been the primary funding source for the bridges' maintenance and operations since the beginning — motorists paid a quarter to cross the Bay Bridge when the first tolls were enforced in 1940.



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Only motorized vehicles pay tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge. Pedestrians and bikes cross for free, but (logically) must use the sidewalks.

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Pay-As-You-Go rate including License Plate Accounts and One-Time Payments (from $8.80 to $9.00) Toll Invoice rate (from $9.40 to $9.75) Carpool rate (from $6.40 to $6.75) Multi-axle vehicle toll rates (see full chart below)

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The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special-purpose district that owns and operates three regional transportation assets in the San Francisco Bay Area: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Ferry system and the Golden Gate Transit system.

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Just drive over the bridge north-bound out of San Francisco. The toll is only collected south-bound into San Francisco. If you don't want to pay any tolls to get back to San Francisco, then circle the bay clockwise. Detour over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge as that is the bridge that is toll-free south-bound.

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Local citizens put their own properties up as collateral to finance construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Little federal or state money was used to build the bridge. Most of the financing came from bonds sold by the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District.

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Both pieces of the iconic San Francisco Bay Area landmark are selling for $12,000. One bridge truss is 37 feet, and the other is 17 feet long. The seller is located in Penngrove, a census-designated place just north of Petaluma.

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Paying Tolls Visitors and infrequent drivers can pay tolls within 5 days before or 5 days after driving The Toll Roads using The Toll Roads app or online at TheTollRoads.com. If you are visiting family or friends, find out if they have a FasTrak® account with The Toll Roads.

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??You only pay tolls when driving southbound, entering San Francisco. No toll is collected when driving northbound toward Marin County.

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5 Fun Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge
  • The bridge is actually not golden at all! It's a bright red-orange.
  • It was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
  • It took four years to build.
  • There are approximately 600,000 rivets in each of the bridge's towers.
  • It's the most photographed bridge in the world.


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In California, if you go through FasTrak lane without a pass, you will receive a toll violation notice. Toll violation will include the regular toll rate plus a penalty as: First notice: $25 penalty. Second notice: $70.

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