litigation with the construction contractors. The gross earnings (EBITDA) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 were approximately $3 million on revenues of $21 million. Discussions regarding a potential SANDAG purchase of the road began in October 2010. On July 29, 2011, SANDAG agreed to purchase the lease of the freeway from South Bay Expressway LLC; even though a study suggested that the agency might have to spend millions of dollars on maintaining and repairing parts of the highway. Objections raised to the purchase during the negotiation phase included needing a loan from the federal government of $1.5 million to complete the purchase, and a possible increase in traffic through Lemon Grove. The sale of the franchise rights until the year 2042 was finalized on December 16, 2011, at a price of $341.4 million, and $10.2 million in additional fees, with $254 million from TransNet sales tax revenue, some of it to be repaid with toll revenue. SANDAG claimed at the time that they would reduce the tolls to attract increased use and decrease traffic on I-805, which would mean that additional lanes would not need to be constructed on that route. Despite this, the operator decided to increase tolls instead even with the low demand for using the road; the San Diego Union-Tribune criticized the decision. In mid-2011, it cost $4 to drive the entire toll portion of the road. Tolls on the tolled section were reduced in 2012 to 25 to 40 percent less than when the road was privately owned. As a result, the number of vehicles using that particular section increased by 19 percent that year compared to the year before. It was estimated that the road would be fully paid off in 2042, and there were reports of decreased traffic on Chula Vista streets and an increase in retail business. Proposal to remove tolls In early 2022, Chula Vista mayor Mary Salas said that she hoped to end the toll by 2027 instead of 2042, wanting SANDAG to find a way to pay off the loans by then, stating that it is affecting the economically disadvantaged and driving away companies. In April, SANDAG officials reported that the regional body lost up to $1.8 million in revenue when the toll sensors were disabled between June and August 2021. By July 2022, SANDAG officials announced that they will support eliminating tolls by 2027, but still have