Is there a toll on the Coronado Bridge?
No — the San Diego–Coronado Bridge has been free since June 27, 2002; the last toll was $1, and the booths are long gone, so ignore older guidebooks and GPS warnings that say otherwise.
- Toll today
- $0
- Toll ended
- June 27, 2002
- Last toll
- $1 (inbound)
- Ferry alternative
- ~15 min · from $9
The short version
- The bridge opened August 3, 1969 with a 60-cent toll each way; the last toll, $1 inbound to Coronado, was collected June 27, 2002.
- The construction bonds were paid off in 1986 — tolls kept running for 16 more years.
- The bridge is 2.1 miles long with 200 feet of clearance so Navy ships can pass under it; it curves 80 degrees on the way up.
- Pedestrians and bikes aren't allowed on it except during the once-a-year Bike the Bay ride (August 23 in 2026).
- The car-free alternative is the Coronado ferry: about 15 minutes from Broadway Pier or the Convention Center, one-way from $9.
It's one of the most persistent stale facts about San Diego: visitors still ask whether they need cash for the Coronado Bridge. You don't. The toll plaza at the Coronado end was removed more than two decades ago, and the area is now landscaped as the city's "Gateway."
The Coronado Bridge toll, start to finish
Wikipedia (bridge history), 10News archive, Coronado Times.
2.1 mi
Length (11,179 ft)
200 ft
Clearance for Navy ships
$197M
Total tolls collected, 1969–2002
Getting to Coronado without a car
Bridge, ferry or the long way round
| Drive the bridge | Coronado ferry | Silver Strand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | One-way from $9 | Free |
| Time from downtown | About 10 minutes without traffic | — | — |
| Watch out | Commute backups tied to the Navy bases | — | — |
| Time | — | About 15 minutes on the water | — |
| Where | — | Broadway Pier (hourly) or Convention Center (every 30 min) to Coronado Ferry Landing | — |
| Route | — | — | Through Imperial Beach and up the Strand (SR-75) |
| Best for | — | — | Coming from the South Bay; also the bike route |
| Verdict | — | The scenic choice | — |
Why the bridge curves
The bridge has to clear 200 feet over the main shipping channel for aircraft carriers based at Naval Air Station North Island. Getting that high on a gentle grade takes distance, so the designers curved the approach — it climbs from Coronado at a 4.67% grade and swings 80 degrees toward San Diego. The eastern pillars in Barrio Logan carry the murals of Chicano Park, created after community protests over the bridge's construction through the neighborhood.
- Outdated GPS or rental-car toll devices won't charge you here — there's nothing to charge.
- The toll ended when the state removed it in 2002; the City of Coronado later received a $7 million settlement from toll revenues to improve the bridge approaches.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
10News (KGTV)
June 27, 2002; $1 final toll
- BackgroundSan Diego–Coronado Bridge
Wikipedia
Dimensions, grade and curve, toll history, total revenue
Coronado Times · 2019-02-01
Bonds paid 1986; $7M settlement
State of California, CEQAnet
State environmental record for the toll removal
- PrimaryCoronado ferry
Flagship Cruises & Events · 2026-09-29
Routes, frequency, from $9