SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden Gate Bridge tolls would hit $7 at certain times of the day under a congestion-relief proposal released Thursday.


At peak hours, motorists would pay an extra $1 on top of a base toll that is expected to rise from $5 to $6 later this year.

Officials hope the variable toll will encourage people to use public transportation or drive at off-peak travel times. It was a requirement of a federal highway grant that will help rebuild Doyle Drive -- the precarious southern approach to the bridge -- and pay for other projects.

But it will not prevent regional transportation officials from seeking a separate toll -- labeled a "commuter tax" by critics -- to pay the balance of the $1 billion Doyle Drive project.

"They still have a very hefty shortfall," Celia Kupersmith, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, told the board's finance committee. "Tolling on Doyle Drive to solve that problem is still on the table."

The full board is expected to take up the variable-toll proposal this morning.

Kupersmith outlined two variable-toll options, either of which could take effect by September 2009.

The first calls for a $1 increase for cash customers who travel weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. The same toll would be in effect weekends from 3 to 7 p.m. FasTrak commuters would have a 50-cent increase over the current $4 toll.

The second option is the same, except FasTrak customers would pay $1 more instead of 50 cents.

Increases also would affect commercial vehicles.

The first option is expected to raise $3.8 million a year for the bridge district and reduce congestion by 7.6 percent. The second option would raise $5.2 million and reduce traffic by 9.5 percent.

"We don't know whether people will shift to different hours or use public transit," Kupersmith said.

Officials already are planning to increase the base $5 cash toll by $1 to close a five-year, $80 million budget deficit at the bridge district.

A hearing on the base toll is set for June 11. Bridge officials may also take a final vote on the variable-toll idea at that time.

The base toll is expected to go up as soon as Sept. 30 and no later than Jan. 1.

The board agreed in March to charge a congestion toll so that the Bay Area would be eligible for a $158 million Urban Partnerships grant. About $40 million will go to rebuilding Doyle Drive, which is deemed antiquated and unsafe.

"It's a project that if nothing is moved forward and a big earthquake comes, it's going to be mud on everyone's faces," Kupersmith said.

But Kupersmith said Thursday that Department of Transportation officials recently put other strings on the grant that could result in costly delays. Federal authorities want an independent analysis of the variable toll's impacts on congestion before it will release the $158 million grant.

Also, Kupersmith said the state budget crisis could hold up more than $400 million committed by the state. If the project is postponed a year or two, she said, inflation could drive up the overall cost.

A coalition of various agency officials, including San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is calling for a regional summit meeting to find solutions and other funding sources.

Kupersmith said one idea is to hire a private manager to pursue ideas such as an electronic toll on Doyle Drive.

The project shortfall has been estimated at between $160 million and $370 million.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.