the decorative illumination was changed to 160 blue LED lamps, powered by solar panels, with a project cost of $1 million. When the bridge opened in 1963, Vincent Thomas was the longest-serving assemblyman. In 1961, the legislature passed a special Concurrent Resolution 131 in order to name it after him while he was still serving. Tolls When the bridge opened in 1963, the toll was 25 cents in each direction, with the toll plaza on the Terminal Island side. In 1983, the toll increased to 50 cents for westbound traffic but became free for eastbound traffic. In 2000, tolls were eliminated on the Vincent Thomas Bridge, leaving the San Diego–Coronado Bridge as the only remaining toll bridge in Southern California. After the San Diego-Coronado Bridge stopped collecting tolls in 2002, the California Department of Transportation was able to devolve authority over toll bridges to the Bay Area Toll Authority in June 2005. The toll plaza houses California Highway Patrol facilities. Media location Films The bridge has featured in numerous movies such as the original 1974 Gone in 60 Seconds and the 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds remake, Lethal Weapon 2, To Live and Die in L.A., City of Angels, Charlie's Angels, Inception, and Den of Thieves. In the 1995 film Heat, the bridge is mentioned by Robert De Niro's character when he points to the location and mistakenly refers to it as the "St. Vincent Thomas Bridge." Television The bridge's toll plaza is featured in a 1960s episode of the original series of Mission: Impossible where Mr. Phelps, played by Peter Graves, receives his instructions. The bridge was also featured extensively in season 1/episode 7 of NBC's crime series, CHiPs, airing November 3, 1977, titled, "Taking Its Toll." The old tollbooths were the center of the action, where bandits mugged drivers to steal contents from their cars. The 1978 episode of NBC's Columbo entitled "The Conspirators" had a scene where Peter Falk's title character Lt. Columbo tries unsuccessfully to speed across the bridge in his iconic 1959 Peugeot convertible. In August 2012, for the season three premiere of the History Channel's show Top Gear, the bridge was used as a finishing line for a closed course race. The race was between professional driver Tanner Foust, who drove a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 police car, and professional stunt driver Ernie Vigil, who drove a Triumph 1050 Speed Triple motorcycle. Video music