News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena are off the air. Click here to learn more.

Bay City considers tolls, privitization to fix bridges

Corey Seeman
/
https://flic.kr/p/EJzvUj

The Bay City commission is considering a proposal that would turn it’s two city owned bridges into toll bridges owned by a private company.

City commissioners says the city is not able to afford the six- million dollars needed to repair and maintain the Independence and Liberty bridges.

Without funding, one - or both - of the bridges may have to close.

Andrew Niedzinski is a Bay City Commissioner. He said under the proposal, United Bridge Partners would set the toll at one dollar for city residents.

“What they want to do is take over the two city owned bridges and then the Liberty bridge that doesn’t have the ability for rebuilds they are just going to do the fixes that need to be fixed and then make it a toll bridge. So there would be a discounted rate for city residents and then a higher rate for non city residents.”

As part of the deal, Niedzinski said the city would get a portion of the tolls , roughly one million dollars a year.

Niedzinski said turning the bridges over to private control would come at no cost to the city - but could have a negative impact on low income residents.

“It would be a struggle for folks that couldn’t afford the toll. Commissioner Elliott pointed out that he would spend about 750 dollars a year on his normal commute to work. 750 dollars is a lot for some of our residents.”

Niedzinski said the tolls could even increase the cost of things like trash collection, as collection companies absorb the crossing costs for their trucks.

He said several other options are still open to the city - including having the state take over the two bridges.

“Our option is either to close this bridge, maybe the county would be willing to do a millage, like a bridge millage, so then all the county residents are supporting these bridges, or this private option. None of them are things that we want to do but we need to do something.”

Currently two of Bay City’s four bridges are owned and operated by the state.