- Turning our attention now to the Bay City area, where commuters are facing challenges surrounding infrastructure funding, along with how some of the bridges are being operated.

It's a story WCMU has been following closely.

In late 2025, the state, in an unprecedented move, took back $645 million in allocated spending that was not distributed.

In that budget was about $1.6 million that Bay City was planning on using to make improvements on projects including roads and bridges.

In order to get into Bay City from the north and the west, drivers have to cross one of four bridges over the Saginaw River.

Right now, Lafayette Bridge on the south end of town is closed for construction.

That bridge is free to cross when it's open.

Veterans Memorial Bridge is open and free to cross.

And both Independence and Liberty Bridges are open, but they require a toll to cross.

Now, back with me to get us all caught up on what is happening is WCMU News reporter AJ Jones.

- How you doing?

- Hi, AJ, thank you for being here today.

- Hey, happy to be here.

- Well, there are a couple of issues at play here.

So let's start off with the $1.6 million that was clawed back.

What was the plan for that money?

- So the $1.6 million was going to be spending that Bay City was going to put into various street projects, infrastructure projects.

That money was money that the city had gotten back in reimbursements for its share of the spending on the repairs currently being done to the Lafayette Bridge.

Now, that $1.6 million was a part of the money that got clawed back by the State House, which is currently run by the GOP.

So included in the 645 was something like 370 million in community grants.

That's where the money for the bridge reimbursement was.

And so it's created this hole in Bay City's budget.

Now, I spoke to Bay City Mayor Christopher Girard back in January.

And he told me that the city could potentially just sort of move money that had already been allocated for other things forward in order to make up the margins, but the gist of it was, is that now, there is this gap in the city's budget because of the decision to claw back the funds by the State House.

And there is now a lawsuit over the money between State House leadership and the governor's office.

And that lawsuit is currently on pause as the two sides are currently potentially seeking a settlement, but the money is still sort of in limbo.

- The money does impact the construction that's happening on the Lafayette Bridge?

- No, so I spoke- - It does not?

- It does not.

When I spoke to Christopher Girard back in January, he said again, these were all just like street projects.

The Lafayette Bridge is due to open in January of next year.

- [Stefanie] For those who are not familiar with Bay City, with the roadmap of Bay City, as we just mentioned, if you're heading there from the north or the west, in order to get downtown and most places, you have to cross one of those four bridges.

Two of those bridges require a toll to cross, so that's making people who live in that area not happy.

So what's going on with that?

- There are two bridges in the city that require a toll: the Liberty Bridge and the Independence Bridge.

Those tolls are operated by the Bay City Bridge Partners, who are owned by a larger, out-of-state company, United Bridge Partners.

The Bridge Partners were brought in because these bridges needed repairs, and Bay City leadership indicated that they didn't really have the money to do it.

So they operate the tolls on these bridges with Bridge Partners, and they've pooled over 150 million into repairs on the bridges.

Now, people in the City of Bay City are pretty unhappy about what's happening on the bridges.

- [Stefanie] Sure.

- One thing is there's been reported a lot of logistical issues.

So Bay City residents are supposed to, for a brief period of time, be exempt from any tolls on the bridges, but Bay City residents have reported that they've been ticketed erroneously.

In addition, the Bridge Partners ended a pricing tier that was helpful to people who lived outside of the city and in the suburbs.

So if you don't live in Bay City proper, you had this pricing tier that was $15 a month to cross unlimited.

That's been ended.

And now, if you have a transponder, it's at least $2 per crossing, even if you live in one of the Bay City sort of suburbs, right?

It's more, a little bit more if you don't have a transponder.

People are not exactly thrilled about that.

There have been protests about this.

There's a federal lawsuit that's being levied against the Bridge Partners.

I actually spoke to Margaret Bird, an 83-year-old retiree who stays in Monitor Township.

She's one of the people impacted by the removal of the $15 per month pass.

- [Margaret] It is what it is.

And we have to live with it.

We don't have any option at this point.

But it has made life very miserable for people who need to be able to get back and forth across the river more easily than they are now.

- AJ, so what then is the city doing about the Bridge Partners?

Can they get rid of the $15 per month pass?

- Well, the opinion of the mayor, when I spoke to him a couple months ago, was that they very much could not.

He is of the opinion that that is not only just sort of hurting the city and the surrounding area, but he also believes that that's against the lease agreement that the city entered into with the Bridge Partners.

He said that they're not really directly communicating, the city leadership and the Partners.

They're mostly talking through lawyers, and he floated about the potential that there might have to be some form of arbitration in the future.

- [Christopher] The bridge company reconsiders their stance on this elimination of this unlimited tolling.

It's a hardship for everyone, and including those that live outside the city.

And you know, we're neighbors and we know.

We see each other.

We may not live in the exact same city proper, but it does impact the city as a whole.

I just hope those folks at the bridge company reconsider that without even going to arbitration.

- And I should say, when we were reporting on this story for WCMU back in January, the Bay City Bridge Partners did not respond to requests for comment.