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JJR S06801'26_SB0949_INTR_1 g6soyn
SENATE BILL NO. 949
A bill to amend 1952 PA 214, entitled
"An act authorizing the Mackinac bridge authority to acquire a
bridge and a utility tunnel connecting the Upper and Lower
Peninsulas of Michigan, including causeways, tunnels, roads and all
useful related equipment and facilities, including park, parking,
recreation, lighting, and terminal facilities; extending the
corporate existence of the authority; authorizing the authority to
enjoy and carry out all powers incident to its corporate objects;
authorizing the appropriation and use of state funds for the
preliminary purposes of the authority; providing for the payment of
the cost of the bridge and authorizing the authority to issue
revenue bonds payable solely from the revenues of the bridge;
granting the right of condemnation to the authority; granting the
use of state land and property to the authority; making provisions
for the payment and security of bonds and granting certain rights
May 07, 2026, Introduced by Senator MCBROOM and referred to Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure.
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JJR S06801'26_SB0949_INTR_1 g6soyn
and remedies to the holders of bonds; authorizing banks and trust
companies to perform certain acts in connection with the payment
and security of bonds; authorizing the imposition of tolls and
charges; authorizing the authority to secure the consent of the
United States government to the construction of the bridge and to
secure approval of plans, specifications, and location of the
bridge; authorizing employment of engineers regardless of whether
those engineers have been previously employed to make preliminary
inspections or reports with respect to the bridge; authorizing the
state transportation department to operate and maintain the bridge
or to contribute to the bridge and enter into leases and agreements
in connection with the bridge; exempting bonds and the property of
the authority from taxation; prohibiting competing traffic
facilities; authorizing the operation of ferries by the authority;
authorizing the creation of the Mackinac Straits corridor
authority; authorizing the operation of a utility tunnel by the
authority or the Mackinac Straits corridor authority; providing for
the construction and use of certain buildings; and making an
appropriation,"
by amending section 12 (MCL 254.322), as amended by 2004 PA 336.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 12. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, all 1
individuals or vehicles using the bridge shall pay tolls and 2
charges established by the authority. 3
(2) The authority shall not charge tolls or charges to its own 4
personnel or vehicles while the personnel are on duty or while the 5
vehicles are being used for authority business. Beginning October 6
1, 2003, the 7
(3) The authority shall not charge tolls or charges to 8
authorized emergency vehicles that are in the process of responding 9
to an emergency. As used in this section, "authorized emergency 10
vehicles" means that term as defined in section 2 of the Michigan 11
vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.2. Beginning November 1, 2004, a 12
violation of 13
(4) If an unscheduled closure of the bridge occurs lasting 14
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JJR S06801'26_SB0949_INTR_1 g6soyn
longer than 90 minutes, the authority shall not charge tolls or 1
charges to any individual or vehicle after that closure of the 2
bridge, using any means of payment, until the later of either of 3
the following: 4
(a) 3 hours after the bridge reopens. 5
(b) The backup of traffic from the closure clears the bridge 6
structure before the toll plaza. 7
(5) An individual who violates this section by failure failing 8
to pay a toll is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment 9
for not more than 30 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or 10
both. 11
(6) As used in this section, "authorized emergency vehicle" 12
means that term as defined in section 2 of the Michigan vehicle 13
code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.2. 14