Coronado

The state Senate on Thursday approved legislation restricting the use of Coronado Bridge tolls to the operation and improvement of the bridge, and requiring that regular bridge maintenance costs be funded the same as any other state highway.

Any amount collected beyond what is required to pay for the bridge’s operation and improvement would be placed in a special account to be used for extending the approaches to the bridge, including the possibility of a tunnel beneath 4th Street in the City of Coronado.

The bill, by Sen. Jim Ellis (R-San Diego), also requires Caltrans to contract for a study to determine the feasibility of building the tunnel and report to the Legislature by July 1.

The Senate approved the bill on a vote of 38-0 and sent it to the Assembly.

Under the legislation, the nearly $1 million annually it costs to maintain the bridge would be funded by the state Highway Account, which receives revenues from the gasoline tax and other taxes and fees related to motor vehicles.