San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
Encyclopedia
The San Mateo – Hayward Bridge (commonly called the San Mateo Bridge) is a bridge crossing California's San Francisco Bay
, linking the San Francisco Peninsula
with the East Bay. The bridge's west end is in Foster City
, the most recent urban addition to the eastern edge of San Mateo
. The east end of the bridge is in Hayward
. It is the longest bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 25th longest in the world by length. The bridge is owned by the state of California, and is maintained by Caltrans
, the state highway agency.
The bridge is part of State Route 92
, whose western terminus is at the town of Half Moon Bay
on the Pacific coast. It links Interstate 880 in the East Bay with U.S. Route 101 on the Peninsula. It is roughly parallel to and lies between the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge
, and is sometimes used by commuters to avoid traffic
delays due to emergencies on those bridges.
ting to protect against earthquake damage. The bridge carries about 93,000 cars and other vehicles on a typical day.
The highrise section was initially built with six lanes and the eastern causeway with four lanes (two in each direction). The causeway section was a perennial traffic bottleneck until it was expanded to six lanes in 2004, along with much needed improvements in its connections with Interstate 880 in Hayward.
Bus service over the bridge is provided by AC Transit
's Line M transbay service.
High-voltage power line
s built by PG&E parallel the bridge all the way across the bay. They provide power to the Peninsula and San Francisco.
During peak traffic hours the two left lanes are designated HOV lanes allowing carpool vehicles
carrying two or more people or motorcycles to pass for a toll of $2.50. The next three lanes are FasTrak
-only lanes. During non-peak hours the two HOV lanes become FasTrak-only lanes.
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San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, linking the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
with the East Bay. The bridge's west end is in Foster City
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
, the most recent urban addition to the eastern edge of San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
. The east end of the bridge is in Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
. It is the longest bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 25th longest in the world by length. The bridge is owned by the state of California, and is maintained by Caltrans
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
, the state highway agency.
The bridge is part of State Route 92
California State Route 92
State Route 92 is an east-west highway in the San Francisco Bay area between Half Moon Bay near the coast in the west and downtown Hayward at its junction with State Route 238 and State Route 185. It is most notable for being the route that traverses the San Mateo Bridge. It has interchanges with...
, whose western terminus is at the town of Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
on the Pacific coast. It links Interstate 880 in the East Bay with U.S. Route 101 on the Peninsula. It is roughly parallel to and lies between the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge
Dumbarton Bridge (California)
The Dumbarton Bridge is the southernmost of the highway bridges that span the San Francisco Bay in California. Carrying over 81,000 vehicles daily, it is also the shortest bridge across San Francisco Bay at 1.63 miles...
, and is sometimes used by commuters to avoid traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
delays due to emergencies on those bridges.
History and description
The original bridge, known as the San Francisco Bay Toll-Bridge, opened in 1929 and was then the longest bridge in the world. The original bridge was mostly a two-lane causeway with a 300 feet (91.4 m) vertical lift span over the main shipping channel. The bridge originally had pole lights along the entire stretch, which were later abandoned except over the vertical lift span. It was replaced with a modern span in 1967. The total length of the bridge is 7 miles (11.3 km). The 1.9 miles (3.1 km) highrise section, the western end of the bridge, is composed of multiple steel girder spans. The eastern trestle portion accounts for the remaining 5.1 mi (8.2 km) of the overall length. The shipping channel beneath the highrise is 750 feet (229 m) wide with a vertical clearance of 135 feet (41 m). The bridge recently underwent an extensive seismic retrofitSeismic retrofit
Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. With better understanding of seismic demand on structures and with our recent experiences with large earthquakes near urban centers,...
ting to protect against earthquake damage. The bridge carries about 93,000 cars and other vehicles on a typical day.
The highrise section was initially built with six lanes and the eastern causeway with four lanes (two in each direction). The causeway section was a perennial traffic bottleneck until it was expanded to six lanes in 2004, along with much needed improvements in its connections with Interstate 880 in Hayward.
Bus service over the bridge is provided by AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
's Line M transbay service.
High-voltage power line
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
s built by PG&E parallel the bridge all the way across the bay. They provide power to the Peninsula and San Francisco.
Tolls
As of 7/1/10 the toll is $5, collected westbound only.During peak traffic hours the two left lanes are designated HOV lanes allowing carpool vehicles
Carpool
Carpooling , is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car....
carrying two or more people or motorcycles to pass for a toll of $2.50. The next three lanes are FasTrak
FasTrak
FasTrak is the electronic toll collection system used in the state of California in the United States. The system is used statewide on all of the toll roads, toll bridges, and high occupancy/toll and express toll lanes along the California Freeway and Expressway System.As with other ETC systems,...
-only lanes. During non-peak hours the two HOV lanes become FasTrak-only lanes.
External links
- Bay Area Toll Authority bridge facts
- FasTrak - San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
- Live Toll Prices for San Mateo – Hayward Bridge
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