Court ruling upholds Regional Measure 3

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) this afternoon issued the following statement on the ruling issued today by the state Supreme Court dismissing challenges to the Bay Area Traffic Relief Plan approved by Bay Area voters in 2018 through Regional Measure 3:

“We are extremely gratified by the Supreme Court’s ruling,” said MTC/BATA Chair and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. “While we await final procedural orders from the Court of Appeal, we look forward to moving quickly to unlock the toll funds approved by voters and to putting those dollars to work on long-needed projects to improve mobility and create new jobs across the Bay Area.”

To help solve the Bay Area's growing congestion problems, MTC worked with the state Legislature to authorize a ballot measure (Regional Measure 3) that would finance a comprehensive suite of highway and transit improvements through an increase of tolls on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges. Senate Bill 595 (authored by Sen. Jim Beall of San Jose) was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by then Gov. Brown in fall 2017.

Toll revenues will be used to finance a $4.45 billion slate of highway and transit improvements in the toll bridge corridors and their approach routes.

Major projects in the RM 3 expenditure plan include new BART cars to accommodate growing ridership; extending BART’s Silicon Valley service to Santa Clara; extending Caltrain to downtown San Francisco; expanding S.F. Muni’s transit vehicle fleet; more frequent transbay bus service; interchange improvements in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties; an expanded express lane network; expanded ferry service; a direct freeway connector from northbound U.S. 101 in Marin County to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; upgrades to relieve congestion in the Dumbarton Bridge corridor; improving State Route 37; extending the new SMART rail system to Windsor and Healdsburg and much more. Review the complete Regional Measure 3 Expenditure Plan.

Voter approval of RM 3 raised tolls on the region's state-owned toll bridges by $1 beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Tolls were increased by another $1 in January 2022 with another $1 increase planned for January 2025.