Passenger traffic at the Blue Water Bridge is down significantly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal Bridge Corporation Director of Communications Todd Kealey said a lot of people are heeding recommendations not to travel out of the country right now.
On March 16, he said about 1,300 cars crossed the bridge into the U.S. compared to around 2,500 on a typical Monday.
"Not just at the Blue Water Bridge, but at the other bridges we manage as well, but what we're seeing right now looking at the numbers, we're roughly about half to one-third of passenger traffic. Discretionary travel is a great portion of that, so it's understandable that's down, but when it comes to commercial traffic, the numbers right now that I'm seeing for the last, let's say the last four days, they're actually pretty good."
As of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, there will no longer be a cash payment option for travellers crossing the bridge into Port Huron.
They'll have to use credit, debit, or pre-paid Connexion accounts in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced Tuesday night that it too, is not accepting cash transactions for eastbound private passenger vehicles crossing the Blue Water Bridge.
All commercial traffic is being asked to pay by prepaid commuter account cards or debit/credit forms of payment.