The San Francisco Bay Area has 1,420 miles of highways, including about 350 miles of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, 160 miles of Express Lanes, 8 toll bridges and a Freeway Assist service. Before your trip, check the 511 interactive map to view current congestion and incidents.
Additional Resources
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Bridges
There are 8 toll bridges in the Bay Area. All bridges collect tolls using all-electronic tolling. Drivers pay tolls with FasTrak or by receiving a mailed invoice. For more info, call 877-BAY-TOLL or go to www.bayareafastrak.org.
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High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
Carpool lanes, also known as High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, allow carpools, vanpools, buses, motorcycles, and eligible clean air vehicles to drive in them during commute hours. Other vehicles are not allowed. HOV hours of operation and carpool occupancy requirements vary by lane. During non-commute hours, carpool lanes revert to general traffic use.
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Bay Area Express Lanes
Bay Area Express Lanes are specially designated freeway lanes that allow vehicles to pay tolls, pay discounted tolls, or travel toll-free. Tolls increase as traffic increases and decrease as traffic decreases to provide a better, faster trip and to encourage carpools, vanpools and transit ridership.
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Freeway Assist
In an effort to decrease traffic congestion and non-emergency phone calls to 911 while increasing motorist safety, 511 offers an option – Freeway Assist – which puts the power of a roadside callbox in your cell phone.
