Caltrans News Release District 4 Harry Yahata, District Director October 17, 2000 Contact: Greg Bayol (510) 286-6169 Colin Jones (510) 286-5776   Caltrans Urges Benicia-Martinez Bridge Commuters to Sign up for FasTrak -- Electronic Toll Collection Comes On-line October 25   The FasTrak electronic toll collection system will begin operation at the Benicia-Martinez Bridge before the morning commute on Wednesday, October 25, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today. Toll Booth #6 near the center of the toll plaza will be dedicated to FasTrak 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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"Everything is a go," said Caltrans Director Jeff Morales. "Next week, motorists with the FasTrak tag will have the convenience of electronic toll collection at the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. We are encouraging bridge users to obtain a tag as soon as possible." For quickest service, applications for FasTrak can be accessed from the Internet at www.dot.ca.gov/fastrak. Applications can also be mailed by contacting FasTrak at 888-725-TRAK or visit the Service Center at: Park N' Shop Shopping Center 1849 Willow Pass Road Concord, CA  94520-2532   Additionally, Caltrans' service center has extra staff on duty to expedite applications for commuters along the I-680 corridor who wish to sign-up for FasTrak. The system is being installed on the other toll bridges in the Bay Area and at least one dedicated lane will be operational on each of the spans as follows: November 15 on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, November 29 on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, December 20 on the Dumbarton Bridge, December 31 on the San Mateo-Hayward and Antioch Bridges. FasTrak has been in place at the Carquinez Bridge since 1997. FasTrak tags will be able to be used on all seven state toll bridges in the Bay Area as well as the Golden Gate Bridge and Southern California toll roads. FasTrak customers receive a small wireless transponder that is easy to install on the windshield inside the vehicle. Each time you travel in the designated FasTrak lane, an overhead antenna reads the transponder and debits the toll amount from a pre-paid or credit card account. Caltrans is a department within the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency that operates and maintains California's transportation system. For more information about the department, please visit its Web site at www.dot.ca.gov. Information about the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency is available on the Internet at www.bth.ca.gov.