MACKINAW CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Mackinac Bridge’s MacPass toll card is being replaced with a windshield-mounted sticker that’s automatically scanned when a driver pulls up to the span’s toll booths.
The switch could mean travelers who frequently cross the bridge that links Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas will see shorter wait times at its toll booths, the Mackinac Bridge Authority said.
“Drivers still need to stop and wait for the gate to rise before proceeding, but the new process will speed transactions for frequent customers,” Kim Nowack, the bridge authority’s executive secretary, said in a statement.
The new sticker can only be used by those with a MacPass account. Those who aren’t account holders will still have to roll down their window and pay at the toll booth each time they cross the bridge, The Detroit News reported.
The MacPass sticker is currently free, but will be $1 each after July 1. Customers who already have a MacPass account can still use their cards through the end of 2020 and do not need to open a new account to get a sticker.
The stickers are part of a new tolling software system installed in the fall of 2019.
