Traffic problems expected in Bay City with Liberty Bridge not opening in time

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - Hundreds of thousands of people looking to watch the fireworks on 4th of July weekend may find that getting to and from Bay City will take a little longer this year.

This is because one of the three bridges used to get into the city will be closed.

“We always recommend to people if you are going to watch the fireworks to park on the side of the bridge you need to leave from,” said Deputy Public Safety Director at the Bay City Department of Public Safety Caleb Rowell.

Bay City officials said the Liberty Bridge will not be open in time for the holiday traffic because of unexpected problems found during the recent bridge repair project.

While the bridge closure will add to the time spent in traffic before and after the fireworks, Rowell said it will be business as usual for his department.

“Everybody that’s available is working so whether the bridge is closed or not. We’ll have everybody down there and you know, directing traffic as best we can,” Rowell said.

He said there is really nothing extra that can be done when it comes to dealing with traffic.

“A lot of times you just have to let traffic take care of itself because there are so many cars and only so many streets that just takes a while to empty out,” Rowell said.

He said the best way to deal with the traffic is to avoid it all together.

“So, it’s better to park and walk than it is to try to park as close as you can. The further you you park from the festival actually the quicker you get out afterwards,” Rowell said.

The Bay City Fireworks main event will start around 10:15 a.m. at night on July 2.

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