Residents speak on Liberty Bridge toll delay

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - It looks like drivers have a little extra time to get transponders for Liberty Bridge in Bay City, but one resident said he’s in no rush.

“I’m going to avoid it as long as possible I guess,” a Portsmouth Township resident said.

It looks like time, for the time being, is on his side.

Bay City Bridge Partners announced on Friday, April 28 that tolling on the Liberty Bridge will not start Monday, May 1 as some had expected.

In a news release, the organization said driving over the Liberty Bridge will remain free for now. It did not explain the delay.

“The bridges aren’t going to affect me until they tear down Lafayette. Once they tear that down, I guess I’m going to have to pay some tolls,” the Portsmouth Township resident said.

Tolling originally was scheduled to start in early April, but delays in setting up accounts and distributing transponders prompted Bay City Bridge Partners to push back tolling on Liberty to May.

Once it does start, the Portsmouth Township resident said he will have a transponder, even if he’d prefer not to have one.

“Because I do use it every once in a while, but once they start putting tolls on it, I’m going to try to avoid it as much as possible,” the resident said.

Bay City Bridge Partners did not say when tolling will start, but it added that it will notify residents at least two weeks in advance.