By Michael Piwowarski
BAY CITY – It has been about three months since the Bay City board of commissioners unanimously approved a deal to transfer ownership of two drawbridges to a private firm, resulting in tolls coming in the near future.
Independence and Liberty Bridges, which cross the Saginaw River and give motorists access to and from downtown Bay City, are being taken over by United Bridge Partners (UBP), a private firm specializing in rehabilitating bridges for underfunded cities. Their newly formed company, Bay City Bridge Partners (BCBP), has assumed operations of these two bridges.
Bay City Bridge Partners opens up to community
A local BCBP office is expected to open later this year, although project manager Kevin Bischel says it will probably be several months yet.
“[The office space will] serve two functions,” says Bischel. “One will be for construction; construction staff will work out of their construction office. It will also be a storefront customer service location for residents and bridge users to come in, and they can ask questions, find out about transponders.”
In an earlier conversation with MLive.com, Bischel says that BCBP is working on ironing out the details. He said the storefront will ideally be located downtown.
Bischel says BCBP wants to make sure the community is fully informed on the new toll bridge system and understands the process.
“We’re trying to keep the public informed as much as possible,” says Bischel. “That started last week with the bridge inspections […] to let everybody know ahead of time that there was gonna be some impacts.”
On that note, BCBP has stated that any announcements regarding needed repairs will also be shared to their Facebook page. Until a new office opens in the Bay City area, residents can contact them via Facebook Messenger with questions or concerns.
Old bridges being maintained… for now
From Feb. 24 to Feb. 28, the bridges were closed intermittently so that BCBP could perform an assessment on their structural reliability ahead of the 2020 shipping season.
“Bay City Bridge Partners is committed to keeping residents and businesses informed about possible bridge closures in advance to minimize inconvenience and concerns,” the company announced on Facebook.
Bischel says the inspections were for short-term evaluations and did not have anything to do with the firm’s long-term plans for the bridges.
“They were basically to identify [any] immediate need that we would need to address prior to the shipping season which starts April 1,” says Bischel.
Bischel told the Collegiate that there were no “major surprises” found in the inspection. There were some minor issues that the firm is looking at, including some electrical problems with Liberty Bridge and brake issues on both bridges (Brakes are used on drawbridges to stop them from rising or falling when they open a certain amount).
They are planning on performing additional inspections on the non-movable parts of the bridges over the next few weeks. Bischel says this would only result in single lane closures.
Bischel was to speak at the upcoming Eye Opener Breakfast, hosted by the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday, March 18. However, the event has been postponed.
Transition of power continues
Although BCBP currently has financial responsibility for the two bridges, the city government still maintains them until the end of April, with BCBP reimbursing them for costs. After April, the firm will assume full responsibility.
On Monday, Dec. 16, the Bay City board of commissioners unanimously voted to sell the bridges to BCBP’s parent company, United Bridge Partners, for $5 million.
The plan is to renovate Liberty Bridge, which connects E. Vermont Street and Woodside Avenue, and completely replace Independence Bridge, which connects Wilder Road and Harry S. Truman Parkway.
As Bischel told MLive.com, BCBP is working on environmental issues and permitting first, then eventually moving toward design and engineering. The construction season is expected to go for 24 to 30 months, with an estimated completion date of 2023 for both bridges.
