The Antioch Bridge (officially the Senator John A. Nejedly Bridge) is an automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian
bridge in the
western
Western may refer to:
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*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
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*Western world, countries that id ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Located in
northern California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, it crosses the
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...
-
Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel, linking
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
in
Contra Costa County with
Sherman Island in southern
Sacramento County
Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854.
Sacramento County is the ...
, near
Rio Vista.
Named after
state senator John Nejedly, the bridge is signed as part of
State Route 160. Unlike other toll bridges in California, it has only a single lane of traffic for each direction. It is one of several bridges in the Bay area that are traversable by pedestrians and bicyclists in addition to automobiles.
The current bridge was completed in 1978, is in length, and opened to traffic that December.
History
1926 toll bridge
The original structure was completed in 1926 by the American Toll Bridge Company (
Aven Hanford and
Oscar Klatt), who went on to build the original span of the
Carquinez Bridge. The bridge was opened on 1 January 1926 as a connecting link on the coast-to-coast
Victory Highway
The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40. It was created by the Victory Highway Association, which was organized in 1921 to locate and m ...
. Hanford and Klatt, officials with the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company, had organized the American Toll Bridge Company in 1923, which built the bridge at a cost of greater than .
The Delta Bridge corporation had formed in December 1922, but did not complete a bridge at Antioch. Delta Bridge had received a franchise to build in June 1923.
The 1926 bridge featured two spans each long which provided a clearance of below when opened.
The original lift span bridge was plagued with problems throughout its lifetime. Heavy traffic could cross it at no more than , and its narrow shipping channel led to collisions with freighters in 1958, 1963, and 1970.
State purchase
In 1937, Assemblyman
Earl D. Desmond urged the California Toll Bridge Authority to acquire the Antioch Bridge. Desmond believed that by purchasing the bridge, tolls could be eliminated, which would spur economic growth. Director Frank W. Clark negotiated with the American Toll Bridge Company, and the state of California acquired ownership of both the Antioch and Carquinez Bridges at a cost of on September 16, 1940. Tolls were reduced immediately and further reduced in 1942.
Marine traffic collisions
The narrow ship channel afforded by the raised span led to marine traffic colliding with the bridge in 1958 (rammed by ''Kaimana''), 1963 (rammed by ''Pasadena'') and 1970 (rammed by ''Washington Bear'').
The 1970 collision spurred efforts to build a replacement bridge. In that incident, the lift span was stuck in the raised position. The bridge tender could not leave the bridge and remained in the
control house for 20 hours. Local firemen eventually made their way to him and brought him out. The bridge was closed for repairs for 5 months.
1978 replacement bridge
Sen. Nejedly authored Senate Bill 25, which later became Chapter 765 of the California Statutes of 1972,
authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds to fund the construction of a replacement to the existing bridge. The bill cited the recent extended disruptions in bridge service from marine traffic damage as well as flooding of the approaches.
The high-level bridge opened in December 1978. Shortly before completion, the replacement bridge was named to honor Sen. Nejedly.
Tolls
Tolls are only collected from northbound traffic at the toll plaza on the south end (Antioch) of the bridge.
All-electronic tolling
Open road tolling (ORT), also called all-electronic tolling, cashless tolling, or free-flow tolling, is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The ma ...
has been in effect since 2020, and drivers may either pay using the
FasTrak
FasTrak is the electronic toll collection (ETC) 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 lanes along the California Freeway an ...
electronic toll collection device, using the license plate tolling program, or via a one time payment online. Effective , the toll rate for passenger cars is $7. During peak traffic hours,
carpool
Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing and lift-sharing) is the sharing of Automobile, car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves.
By having more ...
vehicles carrying three or more people, clean air vehicles, or motorcycles may pay a discounted toll of $3.50 if they have FasTrak and use the designated carpool lane. Drivers must pay within 48 hours after crossing the bridge or they will be sent a toll violation invoice. No additional fees will be added to the toll violation if it is paid within 21 days.
Historical toll rates
Crossing the original 1926 bridge required a toll, but tolls were removed in 1945 after the state bought the bridge in 1940. Under the ownership of the American Toll Bridge company, in 1940, tolls were 45cents per car (equivalent to $ in ) plus fivecents (equivalent to $ in ) per passenger. After the state took ownership, tolls were immediately reduced to thirty cents per car (equivalent to $ in ) for up to four passengers. In 1942, tolls were further reduced to 25cents per car (equivalent to $ in ).
then removed three years later. Tolls were reinstated in 1978 with the completion of the new span at fifty cents per car (equivalent to $ in ), collected northbound only.
The basic toll (for automobiles) on the seven state-owned bridges, including the Antioch Bridge, was raised to $1 by Regional Measure 1, approved by Bay Area voters in 1988. A $1 seismic retrofit surcharge was added in 1998 by the state legislature, originally for eight years, but since then extended to December 2037 (AB1171, October 2001).
On March 2, 2004, voters approved Regional Measure 2, raising the toll by another dollar to three dollars (equivalent to $ in ). An additional dollar was added to the toll starting January 1, 2007, to cover cost overruns concerning the replacement of the eastern span.
The
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional transportation agency, in its capacity as the
Bay Area Toll Authority
The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) is a state agency created by the California State Legislature in 1997 to administer the auto tolls on the San Francisco Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges. On January 1, 1998, the Metropolitan Transporta ...
, administers RM1 and RM2 funds, a significant portion of which are allocated to public transit capital improvements and operating subsidies in the transportation corridors served by the bridges. Caltrans administers the "second dollar" seismic surcharge, and receives some of the MTC-administered funds to perform other maintenance work on the bridges. The Bay Area Toll Authority is made up of appointed officials put in place by various city and county governments, and is not subject to direct voter oversight.
Due to further funding shortages for seismic retrofit projects, the Bay Area Toll Authority again raised tolls on all seven of the state-owned bridges in July 2010. The toll rate for autos on the Antioch Bridge was thus increased to five dollars (equivalent to $ in ).
In June 2018, Bay Area voters approved Regional Measure 3 to further raise the tolls on all seven of the state-owned bridges to fund $4.5 billion worth of transportation improvements in the area. Under the passed measure, the toll rate for autos on the Antioch Bridge was increased to six dollars on January 1, 2019, and will rise to $7 in 2022 and $8 in 2025.
In September 2019, the MTC approved a $4 million plan to eliminate toll takers and convert all seven of the state-owned bridges to
all-electronic tolling
Open road tolling (ORT), also called all-electronic tolling, cashless tolling, or free-flow tolling, is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of toll booths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The ma ...
, citing that 80 percent of drivers are now using Fastrak and the change would improve traffic flow. On March 20, 2020, accelerated by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, all-electronic tolling was placed in effect for all seven state-owned toll bridges. The MTC then installed new systems at all seven bridges to make them permanently cashless by the start of 2021. In April 2022, the Bay Area Toll Authority announced plans to remove all remaining unused toll booths and create an open-road tolling system which functions at highway speeds.
Animal incidents
In 1965, three circus lions escaped from a truck passing over the Antioch Bridge. Two were quickly recaptured, but one drowned after falling into the river.
Humphrey the Whale
Humphrey the Whale is a humpback whale that twice deviated from his Mexico to Alaska migration by entering San Francisco Bay. This behavior is unusual for a humpback whale, and Humphrey attracted wide media attention when entering the bay in bo ...
was stranded near the Antioch Bridge in 1985.
References
Sources
Caltrans Facts - Bay Area*
External links
Bay Area FasTrak– includes toll information on this and the other Bay Area toll facilities
*
*
{{San Francisco Bay watershed
Bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area
Road bridges in California
Plate girder bridges
Toll bridges in California
Bridges completed in 1930
Bridges completed in 1978
Bridges in Contra Costa County, California
Bridges in Sacramento County, California
Antioch, California
San Francisco Bay
Steel bridges in the United States
Plate girder bridges in the United States