Open Road Tolling (ORT) Conversion Northern Bridges Project
Summary
SCH Number
2025091190
Public Agency
Bay Area Toll Authority
(BATA)
Document Title
Open Road Tolling (ORT) Conversion Northern Bridges Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/25/2025
Document Description
The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), proposes Open Road Tolling (ORT) systems at the Antioch Bridge (State Route-160 [SR-160]), Benicia-Martinez Bridge (Interstate 680 [I-680]), and Carquinez Bridge (Interstate 80 [I-80]) toll plazas in Contra Costa and Solano counties, California. The purpose of the project is to replace aging tolling system infrastructure to improve operational efficiency through bridge toll plazas, and improve safety by eliminating the need to pass through existing toll booths. The project is needed to address operational and safety deficiencies for vehicles traveling through the Antioch Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge, and Carquinez Bridge toll plazas. The existing toll collection system is aging and needs to be replaced. The existing toll collection booths and other civil infrastructure are physical barriers that act as fixed objects within the travel way of the road. The existing fanning and merging of travel lanes near the toll plazas increase the potential for collisions. The proposed project would remove and replace existing toll booths, toll equipment, and canopies with ORT systems at the Antioch Bridge, Benicia-Martinez Bridge, and Carquinez Bridge toll plazas. This includes the construction of new ORT gantries and the installation of toll equipment buildings along SR-160, I-680, and I-80. Northbound I-680 and eastbound I-80 would be restriped to four genera lpurpose lanes and one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane through the toll plazas. Northbound SR-160 would be restriped to one lane through the toll plaza. Entrance and exit ramps to and from toll administration buildings and parking lots would be modified. Existing roadway signs would be removed, replaced, or relocated at all three bridge locations, as needed. %$7$ VWROOSROLF\ ZLOO provide toll discounts to HOVs with FasTrak® Flex tag. All project activities are within State right-of-way, except for minor widening on the maintenance ramp for Bridgehead Road, which lies within City of Oakley right-of way. Construction is planned to begin in 2026 and is anticipated to take approximately 20 months. Please refer to the Project Description (Attachment A) for further discussion of the project’s purpose and need and project components at each toll plaza. Figures 5 through 7 in Attachment A show the project’s potential impact areas based on the project’s conceptual design.
Contact Information
Name
Angela Louie
Agency Name
MTC/BATA/BAIFA
Job Title
Principal Program Coordinator
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Antioch, Martinez, Oakley, Vallejo
Counties
Contra Costa, Solano
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
State Highways
SR 160, I-680, I-80
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class I(c) and Class 2(c) (14 CCR R 15301(c) and 15302(c)
Reasons for Exemption
The project would replace existing toll booths with new toll gantries, which will serve the same purpose and capacity as the toll booths without expanding the use of existing highways or streets, nor create additional automobile lanes.
County Clerks
Contra Costa, Solano
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.