Regional Measure 3
Regional Measure 3 (RM 3) finances a comprehensive suite of highway and transit improvements through an increase of tolls on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges.
Photo by Jim Maurer
Background
To help solve the Bay Area's growing congestion problems, voters in June 2018 approved Regional Measure 3 (RM 3) to finance a $4.45 billion slate of highway and transit improvements through an increase of tolls on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges. Winning 55% overall approval by voters in the nine Bay Area counties, RM 3 raised tolls by $1 beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Tolls were increased by another $1 in January 2022 with another $1 increase set for January 2025. The 2019 increase marked the first toll hike on the seven state-owned bridges since 2010.
RM 3 earned support from a majority of voters in seven of the nine Bay Area counties, including margins of 60-40 or greater in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin counties. The only counties in which RM 3 did not win majority support were Contra Costa and Solano.
RM 3 Expenditure Plan
Major capital projects in the RM 3 expenditure plan include:
- New BART cars
- Extending BART’s Silicon Valley service to Santa Clara
- Extending Caltrain to downtown San Francisco
- Expanding S.F. Muni’s transit vehicle fleet
- More frequent transbay bus service
- Interchange improvements in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties
- An expanded express lane network
- Expanded ferry service
- A direct freeway connector from northbound U.S. 101 in Marin County to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
- Upgrades to relieve congestion in the Dumbarton Bridge corridor
- Improving State Route 37
- Extending the new SMART rail system to Windsor and Healdsburg
- And much more
The RM 3 Operating Program provides funds to support the operation of the Salesforce Transit Center transbay terminal, regional express buses, and ferry service. Review the complete Regional Measure 3 Expenditure Plan.
RM 3 Toll Increase
The new toll schedule established by RM 3 was formally approved by the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) in December 2018 through adoption of BATA Resolution No. 128. The Authority also adopted BATA Resolution No. 129, which authorized the escrow of RM 3 funds pending resolution of legal challenges to Senate Bill 595 (the 2017 legislation authored by then-state Sen. Jim Beall of San Jose that authorized placement of the measure on the June 2018 ballot in the nine Bay Area counties) and RM 3. These challenges ultimately were dismissed by the California Supreme Court in January 2023. BATA in March 2023 voted to release the escrow funds and terminate the escrow account. The Commission began making RM 3 allocations in June 2023.
As of June 2023, MTC is considering allocation requests. RM 3 project sponsors should reference the instructions, policies and procedures, forms and templates in the RM 3 Forms and Materials Box folder for more information on requesting an allocation and seeking reimbursement.
Project & Program Information
Project Maps
List of RM 3-Funded Projects as Adopted by Voters and Amended via MTC’s Public Hearing Process
Updates to the Commission and the State Legislature on RM 3 Implementation, Allocations and Project Progress
List of Recent RM 3 Allocation Actions
RM 3 Policies and Procedures for Capital and Operating Allocations
RM 3 Independent Oversight Committee
Senate Bill 595 (SB 595) established an independent oversight committee to ensure that RM 3 funds are spent according to statutory requirements. Appointees serve a four-year term, from July 2023 through June 2027.
Committee Members
| County | Member | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | Tim Ambrose | Anu Natarajan |
| Contra Costa | Vacant | Vacant |
| Marin | Kevin Hagerty | Joanne Webster |
| Napa | Pamela Kindig, Vice Chair | Vacant |
| San Mateo | Frederick Arn Hansson | Vacant |
| Santa Clara | Vacant | Vacant |
| San Francisco | Brian David Shaw, Chair | Vacant |
| Solano | William G. Jerry Hayes | Vacant |
| Sonoma | Steve Birdlebough | John Maitland |
Staff Contact
Wally Charles, Executive Office
Phone: 415-820-7993
Email: [email protected]
Prior Bridge Toll Increases
Bay Area voters twice previously approved toll increases for regional transportation improvements. This map details the major projects funded by those measures.
Projects Funded Through Regional Measure 1 (1988)
- The Richmond Parkway;
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge widening;
- The new Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge across the Carquinez Strait;
- Widening of the Bayfront Expressway in San Mateo County;
- Richmond-San Rafael Bridge rehabilitation;
- The new Benicia-Martinez Bridge;
- Rehabilitation of the original 1962 Benicia-Martinez Bridge; and
- Reconstruction of the Interstate 880/State Route 92 interchange in Hayward.
Projects Funded Through Regional Measure 2 (2004)
- Advancing the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore;
- San Francisco's Central Subway;
- Interstate 80/680 interchange upgrades in Solano County;
- State Route 4 widening in eastern Contra Costa County;
- The e-BART extension to Pittsburg and Antioch;
- Seismic retrofit of the BART Transbay Tube;
- The BART-Oakland Airport connector;
- The Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco; and
- BART's extension from Fremont to Warm Springs.
Regional Measure 2 also provides ongoing operating support for the Clipper® transit-fare payment card, and for key bus, ferry and light-rail services around the Bay Area.