Toll Bridge Facts.com

"Ask the GIBC"
Answers to Timely Questions

The GIBC frequently receives very thoughtful and important questions from Islanders and other customers of the Toll Bridge.  In order to keep everyone better informed, the GIBC has established the “Ask the GIBC” section of “The Connection” e-newsletter and Toll Bridge Facts.com Web site.

If you have a question that you would like answered, please e-mail the GIBC at karmazingibc@aol.com.  The names of people submitting questions will be kept confidential.

Answers to Questions Submitted as of November 21, 2007

Q:  When will the Wayne County Bridge reopen to vehicle traffic?

A:  Currently, this is the most frequently asked question by customers!  Wayne County has consistently said they will reopen their bridge by December 15 when the repairs are expected to be finished. 

Please understand that the GIBC does not have any more knowledge about this topic than what we read in the newspapers or hear at public meetings.  If you are interested in obtaining information about Wayne County's plans to reopen their bridge, the GIBC would appreciate you viewing the county's web site for the project (http://www.waynecounty.com/dps/grosse-ile-bridge-intro.html) or contacting Grosse Ile Township (734-676-4422).  Please do not call us about this matter.

When we are officially notified by the county of the exact date and time that their bridge will be reopened, the GIBC will send out an e-newsletter detailing our actions to help to make this event go smoothly. 

Again, as of now, the GIBC is expecting the county to reopen their bridge by no later than some time on December 15.

Q:  Will the GIBC provide a refund for tokens from an opened roll of tokens?

A:  No.  It has been the GIBC's policy for decades, if not from the very beginning when the bridge opened, that we do not provide refunds for loose tokens.  The GIBC's receipt for the purchase of tokens clearly states this policy.

There are many good reasons for this restriction.  During the fall of 2006, the GIBC asked the community to vote on whether or not we should continue to sell and accept tokens.  Approximately 87% of the 457 residents who responded wanted the GIBC to keep tokens.  As a result the GIBC has kept tokens in circulation and a very substantial amount of them have been purchased and used during the Wayne County Bridge closure period.

The administrative burden of accounting for, and handling, loose tokens is too great for the GIBC to process without negatively affecting other important office operations.  Moreover, we do want to create an incentive for tokens to be stolen from parked cars.  Unlike the Bridge Pass which is worthless if stolen from a vehicle after it is deactivated, tokens can obviously be used by anyone. 

Beginning in the fall of 2006, the GIBC strongly urged Islanders and all customers of the Toll Bridge to purchase the Bridge Pass.  The GIBC will issue refunds for the unused balance and $25 lease deposit when a customer returns a Bridge Pass in good working order. 

The GIBC purposely established incentives to use the Bridge Pass because we knew that widespread utilization of this service was essential to safely increasing the volume of traffic that could travel over the Toll Bridge on a daily basis.  Currently, there are more than 8,300 Bridge Pass customers and the vast majority are residents of the Island.

If customers have loose tokens that they do not believe they will ever use, the GIBC encourages them to make donations to local churches.  During the county bridge closure period, the GIBC has collectively donated thousands-of-dollars of tokens to the five churches on the Grosse Ile in order to ensure off-Island members could attend church services for free as well as to generally support church activities.

Q:  Can I obtain a statement from the GIBC showing the transactions and balance on my Bridge Pass account?

A:  Yes.  There are two ways to obtain from the GIBC a statement on your Bridge Pass account.

First, you can request that the GIBC provides an "Official Statement" printed out on GIBC letterhead and sent by regular mail to your address.  There is a $5 administrative charge for this service.

Second, at no cost (i.e., free), you can request an "Activities Report" from the GIBC that will detail all the same transactions and balance information as an "Official Statement"; however, it will only be provided to you as a PDF file by e-mail.  To see an example of an "Activities Report," please CLICK HERE.

If you would like to request an "Official Statement" or an "Activities Report," please call the GIBC at (734) 282-2914 or send us an e-mail at grosseilebridge@sbcglobal.net.

Q:  Why did the GIBC recently decide to landscape its property at the northwest corner of Bridge Road and Meridian?

A: GIBC Owner and President Paul Smoke has continually made improvements to the aesthetics of the Toll Bridge and its grounds throughout his tenure that began in 1982.  Over the years Paul has accomplished such projects as improving the causeway between the east end of the bridge and the shoreline to provide an attractive view of the river and wildlife, repainting the bridge with special multiple-tone colors, building a permanent toll plaza, placing protective housing for the Common Terns on the south protection pier and planting pine trees in the toll plaza.

Paul has long been considering a major landscaping project on the GIBC's property at the northwest corner of Bridge Road and Meridian.  Given his accomplishments on the bridge and the immediately adjacent areas, he decided that the time was right for a project on the Island side of the GIBC's property.  He also believes that doing an improvement project now on the north entrance of the Island will complement the major landscaping initiative that Grosse Ile Township is pursuing at the entrance to the Wayne County Bridge.  In addition, Paul feels that the project will enhance safety at the intersection by improving visibility.

For more information on this project, please CLICK HERE.

Q:  Why does the GIBC need a fire hydrant near the west end of the Toll Bridge if it has been o.k. not to have one there for the past 94 years?

A:  As we have consistently said since the beginning of this project, there are two reasons that the GIBC needs this fire hydrant. 

First, the City of Riverview will not allow the GIBC to build our new long-planned operations building in the toll plaza without the installation of a fire hydrant to meet the City's ordinance for new construction.

Second, the Wayne County Bridge closure period has forced the Toll Bridge to handle large and heavy trucks.  As the recent major truck fire on a Los Angeles freeway shows, it is prudent to have the best available fire protection for critical transportation infrastructure.

The fire chiefs of Grosse Ile and Riverview have informed the GIBC that having a fire hydrant near the west end of the Toll Bridge would enhance safety for motorists, the span itself and the toll plaza as well as the Riverview Boat Launch area. 

In fact, the City of Riverview Assistant Attorney informed the GIBC during the April 24, 2007 site inspection performed by the Riverview Fire Chief that the city had no objection to the GIBC using water from Grosse Ile Township to install a fire hydrant in order to comply with the city's ordinance requirement for the GIBC's proposal to build a new operations building. 

The Assistant Attorney told the GIBC that it was the responsibility of Grosse Ile Township to approve the use of their water line for the GIBC's fire hydrant.  On April 25, he sent the GIBC an e-mail that confirmed that Riverview supported the GIBC's plan. 

Subsequently, on July 19, 2007, the Grosse Ile Department of Public Services Director sent the GIBC a letter that unconditionally rejected our proposal to connect the fire hydrant to a Township-owned 12" water line from which we have been purchasing metered water since the 1960s.

Then, on September 5, 2007, the Detroit News editorial board published an editorial about the Township's decision that stated, "The sore losers in Grosse Ile Township risk making the commute from the island community a greater headache than it needs to be. Township officials are refusing to let the owners of the Grosse Ile Bridge hook into municipal water lines to install a fire hydrant for a planned new toll plaza. A hydrant is required before the plaza can be built. The new plaza should speed bridge crossings. But Grosse Ile is allowing vindictiveness to trump sound policy.  They won't give the Grosse Ile Bridge Co. the permit in a decision that looks spiteful, considering the township lost a four-year battle to seize the bridge..."

Currently, the GIBC's fire hydrant and operations building projects are at a standstill.

For more information about the GIBC's fire hydrant project, please CLICK HERE.

"Ask the GIBC"
Answers to Timely Questions

The GIBC frequently receives very thoughtful and important questions from Islanders and other customers of the Toll Bridge.  In order to keep everyone better informed, the GIBC has established the “Ask the GIBC” section of “The Connection” e-newsletter and Toll Bridge Facts.com Web site.

If you would like to submit a question, please e-mail the GIBC at karmazingibc@aol.com.  The names of people submitting questions will be kept confidential.

Answers to Questions Submitted as of September 28, 2007

Q:  What is the GIBC doing to ensure that the Toll Bridge is structurally safe and sound?

A:  On August 3, 2007, the GIBC sent out an e-newsletter that included a statement detailing our inspection procedures that have kept the Toll Bridge in excellent condition.  Since that time, the GIBC’s contractor successfully completed a project to add rip-rap (stones of various sizes) around the base of a middle pier on the Toll Bridge.  This four day job for just one pier cost the GIBC more than $40,000.

The GIBC undertook this project to enhance protection around a pier that had experienced some normal erosion caused by the strong current in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River.  At no time was the structural integrity of the pier at issue.

The GIBC pays extremely close attention to the condition of the piers.  The river’s current will gradually erode materials that provide protection against scour holes that can undermine piers and cause them to fail over a period of time.  According to the federal government, scour of piers is the leading cause of bridge failures.

Q:  Last month the Detroit Princess traveled through the Toll Bridge a couple of times and created minor traffic delays.  Can anything be done to ask the ship not to travel through the Toll Bridge during the county bridge closure period?

A:  Yes, the GIBC talked to Detroit Princess owner “Captain John” and explained the traffic delays that the ship was causing.  Captain John said he understood the situation and did not want to cause any additional inconveniences.  He said that the Detroit Princess will not travel through the Toll Bridge for the remainder of the county bridge closure period.

Q:  Why has the GIBC stopped accepting tokens and cash toll fare payments in the Bridge Pass Express Lane during afternoon rush hour?

A:  The number of customers using the Bridge Pass has more than doubled since the beginning of the county bridge closure period – more than 8,200 customers now use the Bridge Pass.  Bridge Pass customers comprise more than 50% of the afternoon rush hour traffic and greater than 40% of all daily traffic.

At the beginning of the county bridge closure period, the GIBC’s toll attendants routinely directed some vehicles from the Attended Lane to the Bridge Pass Express Lane during the height of the afternoon rush hour to prevent a level of traffic congestion on Jefferson Avenue that was unacceptable to the Riverview Police Department.  This practice is rarely necessary now that widespread use of the Bridge Pass has traffic flowing without major delays.

It is, however, never the case that the Bridge Pass Express Lane will be open to non-Bridge Pass customers unless a GIBC toll attendant is present directing traffic.  Non-Bridge Pass customers attempting to drive through the Bridge Pass Express Lane without direction by a GIBC toll attendant will be turned around to the end of the line in the Attended Lane.

Q:  Why does the GIBC require me to mount my Bridge Pass Tag to the windshield of my vehicle?

A:  The Bridge Pass system sensors are calibrated to read Bridge Pass Tags that are within a certain distance and height in the toll plaza.  While some customers have successfully held their Bridge Pass Tag against their windshield in order to travel through the toll gate, this practice does not work 100% of the time.

When a customer gets stuck at the toll gate, it is necessary for a GIBC toll attendant to walk into the Bridge Pass Express Lane to provide assistance.  This practice delays other Bridge Pass customers and creates safety risks for the GIBC toll attendant.  This maneuver is also potentially a safety risk for the driver who may experience trouble correctly positioning the Bridge Pass Tag at a time when he or she should be mainly focused on the road and toll plaza.

As a result, toll attendants have begun to warn customers that improper mounting of their Bridge Passes is a violation of the GIBC’s Bridge Pass License Agreement that could lead to administrative charges or even the cancelation of their Bridge Pass service. 

For the sake of safety and consideration to other Bridge Pass customers, please properly mount your Bridge Pass Tag to your windshield.  All Bridge Pass customers received mounting instructions with their Bridge Pass Tag. 

If you are uncertain how to mount the Bridge Pass Tag, please call the GIBC at (734) 282-2914.  You can obtain free additional Velcro mounting strips and assistance from GIBC employees at the GIBC's trailer at the toll plaza or office on Macomb Street.

Q:  What is the status of the GIBC’s fire hydrant and new operations building proposals?

A:  The Grosse Ile Township Department of Public Services Director sent the GIBC a letter on July 19, 2007 that makes it clear that the Township will under no circumstances approve our proposal to connect a fire hydrant to Grosse Ile’s 12” water line that has been supplying us with water since the 1960s. 

The Township Board ran a program on GITV that stated that they support this decision and believe that the GIBC should connect the fire hydrant to Riverview’s water line.  Although, it is interesting to note that both the Grosse Ile Township DPS Director and Grosse Ile Township Fire Chief stated during the Township Board meeting on August 13, 2007 that the GIBC was proposing to install the same brand and model of fire hydrant used by the Township. 

Moreover, the fire hydrant in front of the Township's Public Safety Building is directly connected to the 16" water main that the Township DPS Director claims would be put at risk by the GIBC's fire hydrant proposal (the GIBC is proposing to connect to the Township's 12" water line that is connected to this 16" water main by the Toll Bridge). 

Currently, the closest available water line in Riverview is located more than 1,000 feet from the toll plaza and west end of the Toll Bridge – it is impossible to immediately connect a fire hydrant to this water line.  Riverview’s water lines along Bridge Road have been abandoned for many years and city officials have informed the GIBC in writing that they will not reactive them.  It is simply not true that Riverview has a water line immediately available for the installation of the GIBC’s fire hydrant.

The GIBC is in the process of examining materials obtained from the City of Riverview through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.  Riverview required the GIBC to go through a FOIA process to get basic information showing the exact location of Riverivew’s water lines.  The GIBC needed this information in order for our engineers to perform a more detailed evaluation of the feasibility of establishing a new connection to them. 

Wayne County has informed the GIBC in writing that they would prefer to not issue permits for any construction project in the right-of-way of Bridge Road and Jefferson Avenue that would have a negative impact on traffic flow during the county bridge closure period.  It is also unclear how long Riverview may take to consider design plans that would have to be drafted by the GIBC’s engineers. 

It is worth noting that the GIBC’s site plan to build a 1,100 square foot new operations building has been under consideration by Riverview since October of 2005 – nearly two years.  Riverview will not give final approval for the GIBC's site plan until we can get the city to authorize the connection of a fire hydrant as well as water and sewer lines. 

The Riverview Assistant Attorney sent the GIBC an e-mail on April 25, 2007 that indicated that the city would allow us to connect a fire hydrant to Grosse Ile's 12" water line; however, the final decision on the GIBC's fire hydrant proposal had to be made by the Township.

In fact, even if permits can be obtained for connecting to Riverview’s water line, it would be necessary for the GIBC’s engineers and contractors to design and build an entirely new looped water line to comply with city’s ordinance for installing fire hydrants – a job that could take a number of months in a best case scenario. 

In sharp contrast, the GIBC’s engineers and contractors estimate it would take approximately two hours to connect a fire hydrant to Grosse Ile’s 12” water line.

As a result of these factors, the GIBC’s fire hydrant and new operations building proposals are at a standstill.  More information about the safety and design aspects of the GIBC's fire hydrant proposal is available on this web site in the section on Bridge Maintenance and Improvements.

Finally, it is worth reading the Detroit News Editorial Board's editorial published on September 5, 2007 that stated, "Township officials are refusing to let the owners of the Grosse Ile Bridge hook into municipal water lines to install a fire hydrant for a planned new toll plaza. A hydrant is required before the plaza can be built. The new plaza should speed bridge crossings.  But Grosse Ile is allowing vindictiveness to trump sound policy.  They won't give the Grosse Ile Bridge Co. the permit in a decision that looks spiteful, considering the township lost a four-year battle to seize the bridge..."

We could not have said it any better.

Q:  Why is traffic being counted with strips placed across Bridge Road near the intersection with Meridian?  Who is doing the counting?

A:  These traffic counting strips are owned and maintained by a contractor working for the Township Board, so they are in the best position to answer these questions. 

The GIBC has counting devices in the toll plaza that provide us with the precise number of vehicles traveling across the Toll Bridge, so we have zero use for data collected by traffic counting strips which are generally not considered to be 100% accurate.

In addition, these type of counting strips must be nailed into the road surface with small metal spikes.  The metal spikes will cause holes in the road surface that must be cleaned and patched prior to winter because water will get in there and freeze.  When water freezes in a hole in the road surface it will cause cracks that can require costly maintenance. 

It is the understanding of the GIBC that the Township Board approved a no-bid contract with the contractor to count traffic during the entire Wayne County Bridge closure period.  This may be the longest and largest traffic counting effort ever held on Grosse Ile. 

We do not know how much taxpayer money is being used to pay for this contract, but it is probably not an inexpensive undertaking.

Similarly, the GIBC has no idea why the Township Board is collecting all this traffic data, but it is possible that they are planning to use it to support future litigation against us.  In this regard, the Township Board has not informed us that they are using this data to currently make traffic planning or management decisions.

 

             Twelve Essential Facts about the Grosse Ile Bridge Company
                                               and the Toll Bridge

1.  The Toll Bridge was financed and built by the Grosse Ile Bridge Company between 1912 and 1913.  The Toll Bridge opened to the public on November 27, 1913 (Thanksgiving Day).

2.  Edward W. Voigt was the founder, primary financial backer (owner of 99% of the stock) and first president of the Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC) which was established on May 1, 1912.  The Toll Bridge has been continuously owned and operated by descendants of E.W. Voigt since 1913.  Paul Smoke, current owner and president of the GIBC, is the great-grandson of E.W. Voigt (http://www.ilecamera.com/stories/072106/loc_20060721005.shtml).  More information about the history of the Toll Bridge can be found on the web sites of the GIBC and Wikipedia.

3.  The Grosse Ile Bridge Company built the Toll Bridge with private funding and has never received a penny of Grosse Ile taxpayers' money for operation and maintenance of the span.

4.  No vehicles owned by Grosse Ile Township or Grosse Ile Township Schools pay the user fee toll to cross the Toll Bridge.  Local, county and state law enforcement and public safety vehicles do not pay to cross the bridge.  All Wayne County-owned vehicles, and most state and federal government-owned vehicles, cross the span for free.  Prior to the beginning of the Wayne County Bridge closure period, each month government-owned vehicles cross the Toll Bridge approximately 1,000 times without paying a toll.

5.  The Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC) received numerous awards for major maintenance performed during 1985 to 1995 from prestigious engineering and infrastructure organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Consulting Engineers Council and Consulting Engineers Council of Michigan (http://www.grosseilebridge.com/gib_companyinfo.asp).  Major maintenance and improvements on the Toll Bridge have been continuously made throughout GIBC owner and president Paul Smoke's 24 year tenure which began in 1982.  The span is currently rated as being in excellent condition from the bottom of the piers to the top of the superstructure.

6.  The Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC) is in full compliance with the Grosse Ile Township's recently revised Emergency Response Plan.  According to the Grosse Ile Police Chief and Fire Chief (i.e., Grosse Ile's professional safety experts), the GIBC's existing protocols for handling ambulance runs to Downriver hospitals and the highly unlikely event of a mass evacuation across the Toll Bridge are fine and no changes are necessary.  GIBC owner and president Paul Smoke has an excellent working relationship with the Police Chief and Fire Chief. 

During the Township Board meeting on December 11, 2006, the Police Chief and Fire Chief reconfirmed that the township can assert "control" over the Toll Bridge during an emergency situation as was the case during the Atofina plant accident on July 14, 2001. 

7.  The Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC) annually pays approximately $58,000 in taxes (up from $55,000 last year) to Grosse Ile Township while also annually paying about $55,000 in taxes to the City of Riverview.  The GIBC is one of the single largest taxpayers on Grosse Ile.  If Grosse Ile Township owned the Toll Bridge, the township would be no legal obligation to continue the GIBC's annual $55,000 tax payments to Riverview.  Over a 20 year period, Riverview taxpayers would lose more than $1 million.

8.  The Riverview Trenton Railroad Company (RTR) and Matty Maroun have never expressed interest in acquiring the Toll Bridge by any means.  No one has ever demonstrated that the RTR has the legal authority to acquire the Toll Bridge structure through the use of eminent domain.  In fact, the GIBC itself has eminent domain powers as a bridge company under Michigan law.  Moreover, the RTR's property does not even physically touch the Toll Bridge structure or its foundation on the mainland in Riverview.  The Grosse Ile Township Board's hysterical claims that the RTR could theoretically obtain ownership of the Toll Bridge are completely without merit and basis in fact. 

The GIBC's May 5, 2003 attorney letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (USSTB) was mainly concerned about early draft plans that the RTR had for the relocation of Jefferson Avenue (which obviously didn't happen and won't ever take place) which may have required a reconfiguration of Bridge Rd. from Jefferson to the toll plaza in order to maintain the present level of direct access to the Toll Bridge (access to the bridge would not have been eliminated even in the RTR's original plan) and potential commercial marine traffic that would require the Toll Bridge to open at any time. 

Under federal law, all bridges (whether owned by the government or the private sector) over navigable waterways must open at any time for commercial marine traffic.  Ironically, this is yet another reason why it's totally illogical to think the RTR would even want to attempt to acquire the Toll Bridge to theoretically make it easier to operate shipping at their site -- GIBC must open the span for all commercial marine traffic right now!   

Why would the RTR want to pay fair market value (a huge amount.  For example, the Grosse Ile Supervisor was quoted in a May 5, 2006 article in the Ile Camera that the estimated replacement value for the Wayne County Bridge is approximately $80 million) for the Toll Bridge when it could get free passage for commercial vessels?  Obviously, any smart business owner would not pay for something that they can get for free.

The GIBC, however, never expressed concern in this letter to the USSTP that the RTR could use eminent domain powers to attempt to acquire the Toll Bridge structure itself.  The claims of the so-called "Committee for Concerned Residents of Grosse Ile" in their December 8, 2006 and December 22, 2006 ads in the Ile Camera are filled with gross distortions and outright lies!

In fact, it's more than just a little bit curious and suspicious that the Township Board chose to use the GIBC's letter to the USSTB as a justification for the lawsuit.  The GIBC was urged to send this letter to the USSTB by a small group of residents living on the north end of Grosse Ile who was working closely with the Township Board to raise concerns and questions about RTR.  The GIBC sent this letter to the USSTB in effect on behalf of Grosse Ile's residents and the Township Board.  So, where was the Township Board's letter to the USSTB at this time?  Were they using this small citizens group to urge the GIBC to send this letter to the USSTB while secretly planning all along to use this letter against the GIBC?  Good question to ask!

Just to prove that no good deed ultimately goes unpunished, the Township Board distorted and misrepresented the intent of this letter in order to attempt to justify their eminent domain lawsuit.  So far, three courts haven't been tricked by this ploy.

In any case, it is important to remember that from the beginning the GIBC and the Township Board were on the same side in opposing any theoretical move by the RTR to relocate Jefferson Avenue and complicate access to the Toll Bridge.  It did not make any sense in 2003, and it makes even less sense in 2007, for the Township Board to attack the GIBC when it was just as committed as the township to protecting the Toll Bridge from all potential threats.  The Township Board's inane logic essentially is that the GIBC must be destroyed in order to save the Toll Bridge. 

The smarter move back in 2003 would have been for the Township Board to offer to partner with the GIBC if there was a need to do so in order to protect the Toll Bridge.  Of course, no one has ever demonstrated that the Township Board had any capability, resources or legal standing that would help the GIBC to better protect or maintain the Toll Bridge. 

Remember, the GIBC has eminent domain powers under Michigan law, railroads are expressly prohibited from using eminent domain to acquire the right-of-way of another railroad or bridge company pursuant to Michigan law, the GIBC has a state granted franchise to operate the Toll Bridge and the GIBC has a 93 year record of successfully maintaining the span as a part of the public road network.   

Bottom line, more than 6 years (RTR was incorporated with the State of Michigan on November 27, 2000) after the RTR was established, it has not moved an inch toward the Toll Bridge -- this is a phantom menace that never existed and will never appear.  The Township Board's unsubstantiated claims about the RTR and Matty Maroun plotting to seize the Toll Bridge will go down in history as the biggest, and certainly most expensive to Island taxpayers, hoax ever perpetrated on the residents of Grosse Ile.

9.  On June 9, 2003, the Grosse Ile Township Board passed a resolution initiating an eminent domain legal action to seize ownership of the Toll Bridge (http://www.grosseile.com/government/reports/toll_bridge/tbridge_info.htm).  The Township Board started their legal action against the Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC) without proving any advanced notice to GIBC owner and president Paul Smoke (http://www.ilecamera.com/stories/102006/web_20061020004.shtml).

10.  On May 7, 2004, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan Borman rejected the Township Board's lawsuit and stated in her opinion "this Court concludes that there is no factual basis for a finding of public necessity in this case...this Court finds that the Township abused its discretion in finding public necessity.  The Defendant's [Grosse Ile Bridge Company] motion to review necessity is granted.  Accordingly, the Court will dismiss the case." (http://gibc.typepad.com/toll_bridge_facts/2006/09/judge_susan_bor.html)

11.  On April 4, 2006, the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected the Township Board's appeal and stated in their opinion "Plaintiff [Grosse Ile Township Board] appeals as of right an order granting defendant's [Grosse Ile Bridge Company] motion to review necessity and dismissing the case in this condemnation action.  We affirm...Plaintiff argues that the trial court exceeded its authority by deciding that the plaintiff abused its discretion in finding necessity to take defendant's toll bridge and that the matter should be remanded to a different trial judge.  We disagree."  (http://gibc.typepad.com/toll_bridge_facts/2006/09/michigan_court_.html)

12. On October 13, 2006, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected the Township Board's appeal and stated in their opinion "In this case, the plaintiff [Grosse Ile Township Board] has revealed no authority that would allow the Township to acquire property by extraterritorial condemnation.  Because plaintiff enjoys no statutory prerogative to condemn the property it seeks, the Court of Appeals property affirmed the Wayne County Circuit Court's order dismissing plaintiff's condemnation petition.  Accordingly, leave to appeal the April 4, 2006 judgment of the Court of Appeals is DENIED." (http://gibc.typepad.com/toll_bridge_facts/2006/11/michigan_suprem.html)