“I don’t think the township should own the bridge. It really should be the county’s responsibility, but the county didn’t do a good job with the other bridge,” said resident Paula Duffett, 63, who said she voted in favor. in favor of the bond measure.

Officials plan to put some of the funds toward renovating the bridge so it can accommodate vehicles weighing more than the current limit of 7.5 tons. The weight restriction has raised concerns about how needed supplies and services, such as groceries, fuel, construction materials and emergency vehicles for the community, would reach the island without the ability to use the county-owned Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge. to transport heavy loads.

However, resident Michael Altherr, 58, said he voted “no” on the measure because he believes the township could better spend the money in other ways. But he said he would accept the results of the vote if the measure passed, since it was done through a democratic process.

“I may be the only one voting ‘no,’ and that’s fine with me,” he said.

Many details about the toll bridge’s operations, including current maintenance costs and the conclusions of an engineer’s report, are protected by a confidentiality agreement signed by township officials involved in the purchase negotiations.