SAN FRANCISCO — Motorists who use any of the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges may be in for a pleasant surprise: There’s roughly $1.5 million in refunds up for grabs. But the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) is planning to pocket the cash unless you get there first.

In a memo to the authority, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Steve Hemminger said the funds resulted from uncashed checks or accounts that were automatically closed because of inactivity. Some people overpaid a fine or sent in duplicate payments, he said.

Related Articles Black Lives Matter mural that divided East Bay city will be paved over

Opinion: Megaprojects are hard. Let’s get BART extension right

Here are the rules for using the express lanes: Roadshow

Editorial: Electing Allen and Wallace crucial for BART’s solvency

How did vandals tag these freeway signs without being seen? Roadshow For those and other reasons, BATA has been holding onto a lot of greenbacks, and after three years, Hemminger said the cash will become the authority’s if no claim is submitted before July 11.

More than 61,000 unclaimed checks remain, some in excess of $1,000.

BATA began the reclamation process in April, starting with sending letters to people with unclaimed checks. Then, it published a notice in this newspaper, and it posted a list of the payees on the FasTrak website. Hemminger said lists of people eligible for refunds will also be posted at the Bay Area Metro Center and the toll plazas at any of the seven state-owned bridges.

How to get your refund: