Bay City bridge tolls would rise Jan. 1 under the bridge company’s plan, and the mayor wants a state investigation

BAY CITY, Mich. — Drivers who cross Bay City’s Liberty and Independence bridges would pay more starting Jan. 1 under new tolls proposed by Bay City Bridge Partners, and Mayor Chris Girard is asking the state to investigate the company before the increase takes effect.

For cars, SUVs and pickups, the transponder toll would rise from $2 to $2.50, and the pay-by-mail rate would climb from $5.50 to $7.50, WSGW and MLive reported. That works out to a 25% increase for drivers using a BC-PASS or E-ZPass transponder and about 36% for those billed by plate. Drivers without a transponder would pay $2 more in every vehicle class.

Bay City residents who carry a BC-PASS would keep crossing at no charge, WSGW reported, and the resident toll for the biggest trucks would fall to $6 from $8. The company says the change is meant to pay for long-term upkeep of the bridges.

The public can comment for 30 days after the notice, by email to info@baycitybridgepartners.com or by mail to 300 Center Ave., Suite 101, in Bay City, WSGW reported.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall on Tuesday, Girard said he learned of the increases from media reports rather than from the company, MLive reported. He wants the state attorney general to examine how the company sets and bills tolls and whether it follows Michigan consumer protection law, and he asked that the new rates be frozen until an outside review tests them against the city’s agreements.

Girard also asked the company for its full rate calculations and for documents showing the increase fits the contract’s toll cap, according to MLive. “I want to see accountability,” he said, as quoted by WSGW.

City Manager Rik Hayman said residents have asked for unlimited passes, not higher tolls. “We are one community, and bridges should unite us. And right now they’re not,” he said, according to WSGW.

The company’s general manager had not responded to WSGW’s request for comment. The company, part of United Bridge Partners, has run both bridges since a 75-year lease with the city was signed in late 2019 and early 2020, MLive reported. Last week, city commissioners let a traffic-signal offer from the company die without a vote.

Sources:
WSGW, “Bay City Bridge Partners Proposes Rate Increases On Liberty, Indy Bridges; Community Leaders Push Back,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://www.wsgw.com/bay-city-bridge-partners-proposes-rate-increases-on-liberty-indy-bridges-community-leaders-push-back/
MLive, “Bay City mayor wants investigation into bridge toll increases,” Oct. 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2026/10/bay-city-mayor-wants-investigation-into-bridge-toll-increases.html
MLive, “Bay City bridge tolls to increase in 2027,” Oct. 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2026/10/bay-city-bridge-tolls-to-increase-in-2027.html
Bay City Bridge Partners, https://www.baycitybridgepartners.com/
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture, “Liberty Bridge, Bay City Michigan.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liberty_Bridge,_Bay_City_Michigan.jpg

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