Hmm, why are we reviewing a toll plaza?…read more I actually have never gone inside the toll plaza. I have only driven thru it. Back in the early days of Fastrak, you had to slow down to 25-mph to pass thru the gate. You still do, but it's not a big deal anymore because they have cameras too. Anyway, I got a nasty letter from Fastrak because I forgot to slow down and blew thru the Dumbarton Toll Plaza at around 50-mph. YIKES! There was no fine, just a warning. I only use this bridge during non-commute times, so I have no complaints. Slow down at the toll plaza!

One of those necessary evils of life. Alas nothing is free so tolls have to be collected. In the…read morecase of the Dumbarton Bridge (and almost all of the Bay Bridges) tolls are collected for Westbound traffic. If you are a frequent crosser of any of the bridges, you should if you have not already get a FASTTrax which will allow you to zip through tolls. Aside from that there is very little else here. If you are on foot there is a bridge way over the toll plaza that connects Don Edwards to Coyote Hills Park

The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge isn't anything amazing, although it does get you where you need to go…read morewith a price tag that doesn't seem worth it. It's longer than the other bridges, but nothing special. As of January 1st, 2026, it costs $8.50 to cross the bridge and there are several bridges in the bay area, so it feels that you get price gauged every time you cross any of them and not worth it. The amount of bridges in the bay area and the amount of price gauging is ridiculous. A series of 50-cent annual increases are in effect from 2026 to 2030 so you will continuously have to pay more year after year. The tolls are going up way beyond the rate of inflation and will continue to until 2030 and then they will have another tactic to increase it further. It's expected to be $10.50 to cross the bridge in 2030.

The San Mateo/Hayward Bridge is a very important hub linking the peninsula to the southern part of…read morethe East Bay. Although, I'm not sure of the length of the bridge, it is quite a distance from one end to another, but it gives you beautiful views, when it's a clear and sunny day. One end will lead you to the Peninsula that will take you to San Carlos, Redwood city, and to the South Bay. That's the hub for the tech world. The other side will lead you to the East Bay, which will take you to, Hayward and eventually to Berkeley and Oakland. There will be a toll plaza on the eastern end of the bridge with standard going right for the area. Yes, the prices go up, but considering the convenience from going to one end of the bay area to the other, makes it worthy, especially if you drive during non-peak hours. The roads on the bridge are taken care of and although traffic can be an issue I don't see too many accidents leading to problems. Convenient and efficient that's what I love, especially when it comes to transportation.

The High Street Bridge is a double-leaf bascule drawbridge spanning 296 feet of the Oakland Estuary…read morein the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. It links the cities of Oakland and Alameda. The bridge is opened approximately 1,400 times annually

I've walked, ran, rode my bike, and driven across the High Street Bridge so many times I can't…read moreremember!! It's only 250 feet crossing over the Oakland Estuary, the speed limit is 25 mph, and there's no fishing allowed on the bridge. This bridge is solid steel, that old school steel, and it was rebuilt in 1939. It's also a drawbridge, just like the neighboring Fruitvale Bridge and Park Street Bridge. Obviously this thing is super durable and heavily trafficked, especially going from East Oakland to Alameda!! It's hard to appreciate it by car, but if you walk across, you'll give it major props!!!

12/27/25. Slow traffic here! Toll must be paid @$8…read more Beautiful scenic ride! Bridge is accessible by bicyclists and runners! Definitely a memorable trip over the bridge. Here we come Sausalito!

12/26/2025 On our way to Novato to visit granddaughters and…read moretheir parents!! No traffic ..smooth ride, no rain !!! 5.5 miles strectch on this double deck bridge with bike as well as pedestrian access!

The Posey Tube is a 4,436-foot-long, precast reinforced-concrete underwater tunnel, completed in…read more1928 to connect Oakland and Alameda beneath the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. It carries northbound traffic along State Route 61, featuring two lanes and a narrow, 47.5-inch wide pedestrian/cyclist walkway. It is known as the first of its kind in the U.S

The Posey Tube is the tunnel leaving Alameda, and heads to Oakland…read more Recently, traffic has been slowing down or just jammed up due to roadwork on the Oakland side. I heard about plans to do a major upgrade to the on ramps to I-880 and the roads leaving the Posey Tube. The roadwork hasn't been scheduled yet, but you can expect serious delays. I drive thru this Tube about 5-6 times a week. It's always dark, and you tend to lose radio reception underwater. I guess as long as it's not leaking water, we should be happy. Note: The Posey Tube is not named after Buster Posey, the baseball player.

I am not too keen on the dumbarton bridge, it feels finicky, and the cost has gone up significantly…read moresince the decade from being $5 to around $8+ dollars now. I have driven on this bridge quite a lot especially a decade ago when I lived in the east bay and drove to the peninsula for work I don't like that it doesn't have the big poles or big railing; and the cars shake when driving over the bridge due to the wind. It was never my favorite bridge even a decade ago due to the shakiness, it's not good. I have arial photos from early 2020, thankfully the bridge is only 15 mins or so. But I think they could make it feel a bit more secure (I am sure structurally it's okay , the wind is wild though)

The Dumbarton Bridge as we know it today was opened in 1982. The original span was opened in 1927,…read moreand was the first vehicle bridge to cross SF Bay. Today's Dumbarton Bridge is 3 lanes in each direction, and has a pedestrian/bike lane. The span is only 1.6 miles long, and the bridge has no emergency shoulders. Seems longer than 1.6 miles right? I think they don't count the long approaches. I have never used the Dumbarton Bridge during the morning commute, I mostly use it in the evening going eastbound. I never really got stuck in traffic on this bridge. Being a modern span, I think traffic engineers did a good job designing the Menlo Park/Palo Alto approach. You can't please everyone, someone's going to sit in traffic during the commute. Notes: On the westbound approach, you will go pass the KGO-810 AM transmitter. In Menlo Park, at Willow Rd, on the right is Facebook HQs (formerly Sun Microsystems). Sometimes on the Newark side, there's a foul smell from the swampy marshlands. In 2023, the toll for a regular car is $7.00. There's no toll takers. Toll is collected by Fastrak Transponders or they take a photo of your license plate. The bridge links Newark (Eastbay) to East Palo Alto (Peninsula) via CA-84.

Now that they added another tunnel this is a good commute route. So much better than using old…read moreTunnel Road. I heard it's a very scenic drive, but it it's a slower drive. We use this route going to and from Oakland and it's a good route. Especially when the other freeway is backed up.

Yes, I review bridges and tunnels on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/collection/abcC5X49U7tk5Zl1kqfzEw…read more The Caldecott Tunnel runs east-west between north Oakland/south Berkeley and Orinda. I've traveled through it mainly to get between Oakland and Walnut Creek. This tunnel is part of California State Route 24. The tunnel consists of four "bores," or individual tubes/tunnels, each with two lanes. Two bores go east and two bores go west. Eight lanes total. Approaching the tunnel on the highway from either direction, solid white lines separate two lanes on either side before entering a bore. The lane pairs then merge after exiting the tunnel. The tunnel goes underneath sparsely-populated, tree-covered hills for roughly 0.7 miles. We've never had any issues with this tunnel. It's adequately lit and traffic has always flowed fine. I've never been stuck in a traffic jam in or around the tunnel. During our most recent trip through, my sister pointed out that the westbound bores are newer and nicer than the eastbound bores. I looked it up and she was right. The westbound bores opened in 1964 and 2013 and the eastbound bores opened in 1937. My sister has lived in Oakland long enough to remember when this tunnel only operated on three bores. You can see from my photos that the eastbound bores (twin bores) are narrow and boxy. The newest westbound bore is significantly bigger and round. It also has a shoulder and ventilation fans for enhanced safety and emergency use. The older westbound bore has the same boxy look as the original bores. However, its unique feature is it's lined with tile walls; very of the time (1960s). If traveling westbound, the newest bore uses the two right lanes. Enjoy.

Love Pier 41. Lots of fun there and pier 39. Wooden pier great for bay views. Central tourist…read morelocation with Alcatraz tour sales. Red and White fleet and other people likely advertising. You know you are a local if you've never been to Alcatraz. This is the Fisherman's Wharf area that now has the Ferris Wheel... To me unless I consciously think about it this area and the neighboring Piers all blue together as good fun. Is this a tourist trap? yes. Do I love it? yes. Don't hate.

When you want yo bring a date and steal some much needed kisses, nice spacey view for all to enjoyread more