San Mateo - Hayward Bridge
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 am - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
60 reviews for San Mateo - Hayward Bridge
60 reviews in English
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Review from Heather K.
Half Moon Bay, CA
1/9/2012 4 Check-ins Here
This is the coolest damn bridge.
It's long as hell, for one thing. But it feels good & sturdy. I always get the willies on the Golden Gate because it's got all those suspension cables, and those things always make my brain cells wig out and panic at the thought of being held up in the air by a bunch of strings (stupid I know, but everyone has their silly fears). The Bay Bridge also give me the willies, but then again, everyone knows that rickety-ass old thing is a pile of crap anyway. But the San Mateo bridge feels nice and strong and stable. Maybe that's because most of it is so close to the water....I guess a catastrophic multi-storey tumble into a watery oblivion is a lot less likely.
On the Foster City side, the bridge does have a nice high arch from which you can see an amazing panoramic view of the hills on the Hayward side. You can also see far out along the water. It's really very pretty. And on the Hayward side, there are the tolls (for westbound only, last I was there). Not so pretty. But I guess necessary.
If it makes sense to alter your travel plans to take this bridge instead of the Bay or Dumbarton bridges, I recommend doing so -- there always seems to be much less traffic on this one. -
Review from Nora S.
1/9/2012
Not so fun to pay tolls every day to commute over this thing.
On the other hand, it is so much less congested than any other bridge in the Bay Area so I'm giving it an extra star. After all, every bridge in the Bay Area has a toll.
It's a pretty view when I get a change to look around (which is never -eyes on the road always!) -
Review from Mimi J.
10/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Let's see - what were my choices again? 1) Pay $5 to drive across the bridge 2) drive all the way around the Southern end of the Bay and back North to the airport? Give me a moment to mull it over ... Bridge!
Now, technically, I do have the option to drive South, cross on the Dunbarton, and then drive back North again - but if you're headed from the East Bay to anywhere near the San Francisco Airport it is really a no-brainer!
I drove across this bridge a lot more when I actually lived in the Bay area. Now that I have moved to Bakersfield I am here only a couple of times a year. This last trip it was between 1 and 2 am and there were no lines at the tollbooths. The toll-taker was friendly and rather easy on the eye, and I found myself driving away with a smile on my face. ;) The view of the lights as you cross over the bridge in the dark of night was quite lovely! -
Review from Marina R.
San Leandro, CA
1/28/2012 6 Check-ins Here
Longest bridge ride ever in the bay!!!!!
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Review from Robert W.
Hayward, CA
1/25/2012
Love fas track
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Review from Siai M.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Always liked driving on this bridge because its so close to the water. It could be ugly if there's an accident though.
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Review from Michael J.
Oakland, CA
1/17/2012 3 Check-ins Here
One of the most fun bridges I've ever driven over. Very close to the water, and approximately more than a mile, what feels like just about the water.
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Review from Boris M.
San Leandro, CA
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
You do have to pay toll. CHP is not nice if you dont..........lol
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Review from Ivy R.
Much like Victor, I have yet to be here on a congested day. I dont have Fastrak either.
I usually go to the farthest right toll booth. Its an OCD thing not a convenience thing.
Also surprising, the tellers are all nice and say "Have a nice day", when you get your receipt.
Because the cash booths are foremost to the Fastrak booths sometimes when you haul ass after paying, your timing on when another car is coming out of their booth makes for some beeping. Usually the beeping happens to me, not from me.
Sorry!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/12/2010
My days occasionally take me over this bridge, usually at off peak hours thankfully.
I don't have… Read more »
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Review from Romy I.
San Jose, CA
10/2/2011
I don't buy it when people say it's too hard to build a bike lane on expensive bridges like this. We are able to have mass botox treatments and Las Vegas. Why is it so difficult to avoid allotting a lane to bikes? maybe I'm being mean though because project management is tough and making a lot of spoiled homeowners happy is difficult.
I'm troubled by the fact that it costs so much for working class people to go to where the jobs are. I guess there are a lot of racial overtones, but again, if we can have reality shows and botox treatments, why is it so difficult to have at least a regular trolley trani or bike lane? you could just take it away from one of the cars. I know there are high winds, but gee.
I cannot dis the people who build the bridge though. I always feel a little angry at humanity when I see all the wasteful, ugly SUVs driven by people who've never been offroading, and am bothered that a maid probably spends $200 a month going to work at an underpaid job in the peninsula instead of taking the train or going for free because uptight people are throwing tantrums over the property values on their houses being near public transportation. -
Review from Bob K.
6/28/2011 1 photo
The alpha and omega of my commute. The eight mile grey cinching ribbon of the San Francisco Bay's waistline. The bind between the cosmopolitan-lite artifice of Foster City/San Mateo and the grittier enclave of Hayward.
Strangest sight - once seeing the bay water as still as a mirror.
Most amusing - watching the gulls ride the wind alongside the bridge, suspended motionless in mid-air.
Exhilarating - seeing as many as 30 windsurfers off Third Avenue in the summer afternoon, reminding me that living in the Bay Area demands one to have an active hobby, and find the associated necessary time.
Inspirational - the gravity-defying cotton ball clouds hanging low over the East side of the Bay in the afternoon.
While carpooling, I've been known to nod off as we hop on the bridge from Foster City Blvd, and wake up after a brief dream-like state to find myself still on the bridge. Not while driving, of course.
The latest 92/880 exchange improvement, with three exit lanes heading to north 880, has shaved as much as 5 minutes off my afternoon commute. No more driving into Hayward to make a u-turn. -
Review from Jeffrey N.
Hayward, CA
8/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
As of 7/1/10, the toll is now $5, Carpool $2.50
Carpool hours: M-F 5 am - 10am, 3pm - 7pm
I agree with Victor G. On the weekends, its smooth sailing back and forth. -
Review from Salonje R.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Loving the toll taker people! Totally helpful for the foreigners and people who are lost! Bridge of course has a beautiful design and view. Love love love it!
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Review from Ha T.
5/19/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Currently costs $5 to cross.
Takes you from Hayward to San Mateo.
I heard theres horrible traffic in the mornings and evenings and when its really windy, you can literally feel your car sway back and forth. -
Review from April T.
San Mateo, CA
10/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Convenient! I love driving eastbound up, up, up to the top where you can't see the road in front of you. It's like a giant roller coaster.
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Review from Rosanna B.
Hayward, CA
Updated - 6/25/2011 90 Check-ins Here
While there aren't very many lanes on the approach to the toll plaza, which you would think might cause traffic to slow down like it does at the Bay Bridge toll plaza, there is never a wait in the Fastrak lanes. Fastrak is the only way to go!
I drove across the Bay Bridge for 3 years for my work commute and would never do it again. It would get to the point that I could apply my makeup while I waited to go through the toll plaza. Ridiculous. The San Mateo Bridge plaza doesn't have this problem. Never again while I want to slam my head repeatedly on the steering wheel for having chosen this route to work. Halleluiah!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/25/2011
San Mateo Bridge, where have you been all my life?! I'll never ever take the Bay Bridge again!
I… Read more »
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Review from Meesha R.
9/5/2011
Does the job. But it'll kill ya in a California earthquake minute.
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Review from Allen L.
San Gabriel, CA
12/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
For you regular commuters on this bridge, buy the fast pass. For the people that go on this bridge once in a while it's 5 bucks cash. You have to pay. There is no way going around it.
Great view but make sure you don't crash and flip your car over the side rail because there is nothing but OCEAN! Drive safe!
(I typed this on my phone). -
Review from Andrew C.
I really hate LA. (1)
But after cruising westward on the San Mateo bridge for a night of debauchery in SF, I realized at the toll booth that I was traveling without green backs. Shit. I pulled up to the empty CASH lane and told the guy my situation and asked if they take cards. A big, fat, NOPE was the answer. I was handed my Toll Violation paperwork and motioned to get going. For a first time toll, he assured me, I'd just have to wait until my toll reached me in the mail then call some number to get it reduced to a five dollar payment that it would have been had I been carrying a Lincoln on me at the time.
What a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit.
On the plus side, driving back to hell... I mean, Hayward is NOT tolled. Imagine that. If it were, Hayward would never see anyone but residents and poor souls on business trips. Everyone's trying to get out and the price is $5 a pop. Thankfully, I will not be dealing with any of this red tape as the car was a rental. But for you folks in your own cars that you own and maintain, be careful. No greens? Gotta drive the long way around San Jose and back up. (Yeah, right.)
However, to sooth the anxiety on the hellish drive back to the East bay you just might see one of the most impressive sunrises in recent years and all the while you'll be humming that damned Journey song about how Steve Perry wants to get back to his city by the bay ohhhh oh ohhhh oh oh oh.... When the lights... go down... in the... OK OK OK...
(1) For as much as it hate LA, at least they have the brains to determine that not everyone carries cash in the year of our modern lord, 2010. When you fuck up like I did at a toll in SoCal/LoCal, you fill out a form that is mailed to you and you pay your toll then, or THEY TAKE GODDAMNED CARDS.Listed in: The Bay Area
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Review from Eric B.
7/7/2010
Gayle and I drove home a few weeks ago after a wonderful Peninsula Yelp get-together and dinner. And unlike many other times on either end of the bridge, traffic was light and it was like we had the entire span to ourselves.
The bridge itself is long and plain, yet close and intimate with the Bay. Behind us are the flatlands of Foster City and the San Mateo Hills. In front of us is the Rohm and Haas stack and Hayward beyond. Then there's the Bay Bridge off into the distance on the left and the Dumbarton on the right. It's also fun to sometimes watch a pair of planes fly over on their parallel approach to SFO. -
Review from Martha T.
6/15/2010
I couldn't enjoy the nice scenery that everyone is speaking of because I was SWEATING BULLETS and TOO SCARED from the idea of FALLING OFF!! I drive on the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate all the time, but I have to say, this is by far the scariest bridge I've driven on. If you have a fear of heights, this is not a good bridge for you- IT'S ENDLESS.
I guess my review is a little bias since my drive started out bad. I didn't have cash to pay the $4 toll so as I try to scrounge PENNIES together, traffic started to build up, my anxiety increased, and before I knew it- PANIC ATTACK!! (... ok... slight exaggeration.) They refuse to take credit/debit cards, so what did I have to do????? Yup!! I got OUT of my car in the middle of the HIGHWAY, walked up to the car behind me and asked if he can SPARE me ONE dollar. Thank goodness he was super nice and said 'no problem.' 5 stars for him, and 5 stars for me for being SHAMELESS.
NOTE TO SELF- Always have cash on you in case of emergencies!!!Listed in: Glimpse of my Experience
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Review from Grace H.
12/18/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Did you know it takes 7 minutes to cross this bridge?
Always traffic but exceptionally scenic. -
Review from roger a.
Burlingame, CA
Updated - 2/18/2011
This is my favorite bridge and probably the least problematic compared to the Bay Bridge.
This is really a long bridge and leads you straight to the East Bay via Hayward.. 880 still a mess, so expect traffic getting on there. -
Review from Victor G.
Oakland, CA
5/20/2011
the toll plaza never seems to be congested whenever i go, weekdays or weekends. toll taked automatically electronically
weekends best time to use the san mateo hayward bridge.
why?
return trip to hayward side usually not congested on weekends, whereas it is on weekdays. -
Review from Sarah S.
Fremont, CA
11/17/2010
This is probably my favorite bridge in the Bay Area. Why, you may ask? Because the views are so cool - you are so close to the water and you can see across to bay (on a clear day) to both the Bay Bridge and the Dumbarton. Pretty cool.
Also, when it was built, it was the longest bridge in the world (7 miles).
And the tolls don't change depending on the time of day, unlike the Bay Bridge. -
Review from Ted T.
Burlingame, CA
5/14/2010
Dude! Give this Bridge 5 stars, or else something bad will happen. Yeah, urban legend #479: this woman who was a cousin of a friend of my sister in law, gave the Triboro Bridge a scathing one-star review on Yelp, said she hated it and wished it would fall in the river... Yup, died from a head-on collision on that very same bridge one week later.
The way I figure, if you give 3 stars or less, major traffic problems for you on this Bridge, 2 stars, well, can you say broke down on the bridge? Hmmm?
And you know what happens when you give a Bridge a 1 star review.
This San Mateo-Hayward Bridge is so long, sometimes I forget I am still over water. Nine miles from shore to shore or something like that. Especially love the big swoop up and back down when we reenter the peninsula. -
Review from Susan D.
4/1/2011 19 Check-ins Here
I travel this bridge probably the most and it's a easy bridge to navigate. Now once I do remember some major back up years ago and having to sit for an hour, that was a drag. But that was once in my memory. And years ago when I was much younger (and cuter) I blew a tire on the top of the bridge...YIKES! Talk about the worst place, but thank god there were CalTrans workers who had blocked off the slow lane. I managed to pull over in that lane and I pushed the button in one of those boxes....and wait. and wait.... and wait. So here come the Caltran's guys picking up their cones and they see my dilemma and I'm in a miniskirt to boot (said I was cuter back then) and my two little kids. They took pity on me and told me I'd be waiting forever for help, and that they'd change my tire for me. Wow...and when one of my darling daughters decided to lean over the edge to look at the water! They mentioned we could all sit in their truck until they were done (thank you, almost had a heart attack moment).
So I have many memories on this bridge and for the most part it's done me good.
Of course I don't do commute, but I do use my fastrak and I love sailing thru the toll at 25 miles.... oh yeah.
The Bay Bridge may lead you to San Francisco for fun times, but oh so many times is backed up and with the construction just sucks. The Golden Gate is pretty, but I rarely use it, mostly it's for show to visitors for moi.
Dumbarton doesn't really lead me to anywhere I can't get to by using The San Mateo Bridge. So there you have it. -
Review from Nate M.
Washington, DC
9/2/2008
Exaclty where is the center of the Bay Area?
Right here on the San Mateo bridge, where you feel like you're driving barely above the water and where the SM and Alameda county lines meet.
To one side, the Bay Bridge.
Other way, you can see the Dumbarton.
The mini skyline of Redwood City and Foster City.
The rolling hills of Hayward and Castro Valley.
Someday I wanna take a helicopter and fly right to the center, hang off the landing gear as if it were monkey bars and just take in that view.
UYE helicopter tour over the Bay, anyone?! -
Review from Dave K.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/18/2008
Ah, San Mateo bridge, yes you are one of the longest bridges in the West but you are one of the most plain as well. Yes you are clearly visible from the sky when flying into SFO but who on God's green earth made you with only 2 lanes up to around 2003? Seriously, there are only a few ways over to the peninsula and one of the most critical ones was only TWO lanes for decades.
Imagine this. I was living in Hayward in 1999 and working in South SF. The 26-mile commute took about 1hr 10min thanks to insane traffic on the bridge and the toll booth. Imagine a balmy Wednesday and there's a stalled vehicle on the left-hand lane. NOW imagine a 3-car accident on the RIGHT lane 1/4 mile up. You can imagine the colon-blocking colostomy bag of fun that was. That day, my one-way commute took 3 hours.
San Mateo Bridge 1, Dave 0
At long last you got expanded to 3 lanes and things were better.
But something that may never improve is that accursed 92 to 880 transition. With the people onramping at Hesperian and an immediate halt to get onto 880N/S, you're just asking for an accident. That's what happened to me in 2004.
I was idle in a jam coming back from work in Mountain View on my way home to Alameda. A car rams me from behind at 50mph. He was new to the area and didn't even KNOW people were slowing down and couldn't react in time. My car was totaled and honestly no one that saw the car knows how I got out unscathed.
San Mateo Bridge 1, Dave 1 -
Review from John H.
Hayward, CA
9/20/2008
Being a "92" traveler, I have to say its SOOOOOOOOOO nice they built the second bridge, ie north bound. I used to HATE 92...Oh I loathed it so...to know I had to travel just 12 miles and it would take 1 hour or so.
But now your 3 lanes each way. I do have to take a minuet to talk about the "CHP" wind tunnel you drive going east bound. Now there are "break down" lanes to keep your car off the road, but the CHP LOVES the 5 on 92. There almost always there and one ALWAYS has the radar gun. they also LOVE to sit on the Foster City side of 92 so keep it at 65.
The toll takers are pretty cool for the mundane job of money changer. I've given one a rose, and another one got me to call the toll office there and give a cool report of the guy. Now there is one lady who should get a shave, and maybe smile once in awhile too, but all in all there some pretty cool folks to chat with for a sec. -
Review from Cynthia B.
San Francisco, CA
7/21/2007
A cool bridge. No complaints. Friendly toll-takers. You can drive really fast across this bridge usually.
Not all fancy like The Golden Gate, but there is a cool view for passengers.
One time my brother was driving across this bridge and his sleeping passenger woke up and screamed, "You're too close to the center divider!" And he grabbed the wheel and my brother pulled back hard and they ended up hitting the center divider and scratching the Camry down the whole driver's side...but not too bad. lol
I have seen some accidents on this bridge or nearby. Let's not go there. =(
I commuted across this bridge for years, it was always a fun drive. Look for cops behind you and if it is clear...you can smoke some dope. Or so I heard. Just open the sunroof. Nice. If they ever pulled you over you could just throw your dope out the sunroof into the water below. What are they gonna do then? If they accuse you of doing that then just deny, deny, deny.
Tell the governemnet to stop treating us like babies and let us smoke pot while we drive. Ohhh, but cigarettes are ok. Ridiculous. I guess marijuana doesn't have the advertising dollars and PACs that the tobacco companies have.
Did I mention nice toll takers? =) -
Review from Misha T.
8/12/2009
O WOW I CAN REVIEW A BRIDGE IT GETS 5 STARS FOR GETTING ME FROM FOSTER CITY TO HAYWARD!!!!!
of course it does, it's a bridge, that's it's job...
why am i even able to review this? -
Review from Tony L.
11/1/2007
Wow. People must be really bored if they want to write a review on the San Mateo Bridge. Bored like me!
I remember the first time riding across the San Mateo bridge. It was an etherial experience. It was 1989. My dad was breaking in our new 560 SEL. We cruised down 280 to 92 towards the East Bay on a warm autumn evening. And there was the bridge, this great expanse that slowly rose off the Peninsula shore, two lanes in each direction, a narrow straight guided on either side by amber lights, bright like embers against the black velvet sky.
That's something I miss, sitting in the back seat as a kid, lulled by the rhythmic beating of the tires' tread against sheets of asphalt, falling asleep so fast you don't even realize that you were tired in the first place. And it was always so refreshing, waking up at your final destination, whether shopping mall parking lot or during the last two turns into the garage before mom or dad unbuckled you and carried you upstairs.
But my first time wasn't my most memorable moment at the bridge. It actually came in the winter of '95. I had just dropped off a girl at her home in Fremont after accompanying her to her Winter Ball. It was late, maybe 2ish, after the dance we went her friend's house and ended up watching Stargate of all movies.
I was young and stupid. I was heading westbound on 92 when a car came speeding behind me. He started tailgating me, flashing his high beams. It was dark, the highway lights frosted in the winter chill like snowflakes lit by the moon. I figured, my car's pretty fast, let's see how he fast he wants to go.
Empty lane beside me, he didn't pass. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 85 miles per hour. 95 miles per hour. I was getting home a lot faster than I thought I would. All the way up to the San Mateo Bridge, we were now cruising at a cool 110 miles per hour. By now, he was no longer tailgating me, there were a few car lengths between us and he stopped high beaming.
And just before reaching the bridge the car behind me turned on his sirens.
To cut a long story short, I pleaded guilty, told the judge my story, and he said, with a story like that, it's worth pleading innocent. And I did. By the time the court date rolled around, the cop didn't show. When his name was called, another officer replied "He's no longer on the force." The judge looked at me and told me it was my lucky day.
Since then they've added a lane, and all childhood memories and teenage angst has faded in the back of my mind like a sunspot in the sun. Highways are just a way to get around, tacking on time to our commutes as we breath in exhaust and exhale exhaustion, listening to pop music on the radios, tapping our fingers on the shift knob and shuffling our foot between the gas and the brake pedal in traffic. -
Review from Natalie S.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 11/13/2009
You looked beautiful this morning. See you after work, bridgy bridge ;)
haha1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/28/2009
I believe that it's safe to say that I am a bridge expert. Do I have the knowledge to build a… Read more »
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Review from Dani D.
Northern, CA
10/20/2007
In the past as a passenger I noticed how much time it took to cross this bridge and all the water I had seen.Actually it scared me,but as a driver ..you have seen Fast and Furious,eh?
My passengers didn't complain. -
Review from Janet O.
6/2/2009
I love this bridge. It's my favorite. The drive is long enough to give you time to think and short enough to change your mind about a lot of things.
The openness and cleanliness of the bridge is always something I look forward to-even in traffic. It makes the whole drive bearable.
I have flown over this bridge in a Cessna and I can tell you the view from above is breath-taking. It's beauty is in its simplicity. -
Review from Stephan Vladimir B.
San Pablo, CA
3/20/2010
This bridge goes over a body of water, which is a very desirable trait in a bridge. It has sufficient strength to hold cars, trucks, and really fat biker dudes on choppers. This is important, because a bridge that falls over when you drive on it is totally not cool. And it is pretty much never clogged with traffic when I want to cross it, and while that may be attributed to the fact that I cross it infrequently and usually at night or on weekends, I still appreciate this fact.
When I want to travel between San Mateo and Hayward, or vice-versa, it is vastly superior to driving along the bottom of the San Francisco Bay. -
Review from JAYCE B.
Burlingame, CA
2/17/2008 1 photo
Who knew you could yelp a bridge?
In the respect of "bridging" the gap between two land masses, spanning in this case a body of water... Yeah, it does that pretty well.
Its your standard bridge I'd say.
It seems as though there is a lot of work going into our bridges which is great.
Most of the SM bridge doesn't have a shoulder which makes the prospect of breaking down a nightmare but whatever this a really boring subject to yelp about. -
Review from Patricia V.
Mountain View, CA
12/6/2009
I love the San Mateo Bridge!
As a native Californian I am very proud of all our San Francisco Bay Area bridges.
The San Mateo Bridge is long a- - bridge with a very high span wuu--, with a beautiful view of the bay!
If your from outta town and you've never been across this bridge:
make sure you strap on your roller coaster seat belt as your car takes you up to the top of the ride. Don't be scurred, you'll be auight.
When ever I go across this bridge with my Arkansas boyfriend he calls a family member and he says, "...you can reach down an get a cuppa wutta" as he describes the experience to a friend or family member. Funny huu--? You know he's not from here. -
Review from Charlotte C.
Alameda, CA
9/15/2010
The bridge itself is ok. Trying to get on it from 880 is a nightmare though. Just trying to get past the exit on 880 (North OR South) can be a nightmare. The construction definitely isn't helping either. I just dont understand why 3/4 of the people on the freeway decide to hit their breaks and switch lanes right in preparation for the exit.
