A revolution in Bay Area tolling will begin this weekend with a massive traffic disruption, as Caltrans shuts down the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to install a new gantry structure.
It’s a major step toward the modernization of bridge-crossing, in which the old-school checkpoints will be replaced by an open runway.
Instead of squeezing through a row of booths, drivers will pass beneath an array of cameras and sensors, all aimed at the FasTrak transponders in each individual windshield. If the commute is flowing smoothly, people should be able to pay their toll and cross between cities without ever slowing down…