For Whom The Bridge Tolls (At One Time: Animals)

On Jan. 1, tolls on state-run bridges in the Bay Area will go up by a dollar after voters approved the increase in June to pay for a host of transportation projects.

MTC's library has an interesting look at tolls through the years, which shows periods where tolls went down, believe it or not. The old Antioch Bridge was the first to collect tolls in 1926 and charged a then hefty 75 cents, which is about $10 in today's dollars.

At one point the Bay, San Mateo, Dumbarton and Richmond-San Rafael bridges collected tolls in both directions. At other times passengers in vehicles were tolled. During that period a charge of 25 cents per animal was also levied. Holy cow.

The Golden Gate Bridge is not included in the analysis because it's operated by a special district, but here is a rundown of that span's toll history.