Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program

Tolls on all state-owned bridges in the Bay Area include a $2 seismic surcharge.  Administered by BATA, these toll funds are used in combination with other state and federal moneys to finance a multibillion-dollar toll bridge seismic retrofit program affecting five of the seven state-owned Bay Area toll bridges.

Caltrans' engineering staff determines what retrofit work is needed on each bridge based on traffic uses, expected life of the bridge, cost of higher post-earthquake performance levels, and other considerations. Each retrofit is designed to a level that, at a minimum, will ensure that the bridge will remain standing in an earthquake. The California Legislature has designated the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and Benicia-Martinez Bridge as "lifeline structures" since they are located along transportation corridors determined to be crucial to both emergency relief and economic revitalization of the region following a major earthquake. Based on this distinction, the retrofit strategies for these two bridges incorporate some design elements that exceed standard seismic bridge design.

Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program
Bridge	Seismic Retrofit Strategy	Status
Benicia-Martinez	Lifeline structure, minor to moderate damage expected, reopening to traffic quickly — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Completed
Carquinez (1958 eastbound structure)	Moderate to major damage — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Completed
Richmond- San Rafael	Avoid catastrophic failure — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Completed
San Francisco-Oakland Bay (west span)	Lifeline structure, minor to moderate damage expected, reopening to traffic quickly — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Completed
San Francisco-Oakland Bay (west approach)	Lifeline structure, minor to moderate damage expected, reopening to traffic quickly — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Under Construction
San Francisco-Oakland Bay (east side)	Lifeline structure, minor to moderate damage expected, reopening to traffic quickly — construct new bridge	Under Construction
San Mateo- Hayward	Moderate to major damage — strengthen or replace structural elements, add isolation and dampening features	Completed