Rising temperatures and windy conditions could force the Mackinac Bridge to close to traffic over the next few days due to concerns about falling ice.
The bridge was closed because of falling ice several times earlier this month, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) said Thursday, but ice remains on the upper cables and towers.
With the National Weather Service predicting that temperatures in the Straits of Mackinac could reach the low 40s on Friday, accompanied by gusts up to 25 mph, the bridge authority is concerned that sheets of ice up to the size of a garage door, or ice spears up to 20 feet long could fall hundreds of feet.
The authority said falling ice has damaged vehicles in the past and has the potential to injure or even kill occupants.
“It’s impossible to say when this ice could begin falling from the bridge, resulting in a closure, or if it could gradually melt without incident,” said Bridge Director Kim Nowack in a press release. “We want our customers to be aware of the possibility of closures and know how to find more information if they occur.”
The authority can send updates about bridge closures directly to motorists’ mobile phones via Mackinac County 911’s RAVE Alert System. Text “MacBridge” to 67283 to sign up.
Updates are also available online at MackinacBridge.org/Fares-Traffic/Conditions/ and on X @MackinacBridge. The Michigan Department of Transportation also posts information about closures on its social media accounts and at Michigan.gov/Drive.
Prior to this winter, the Mackinac Bridge had closed 32 times for falling ice, or about once each year, since the bridge authority began tracking closures in 1995.
This winter, the bridge has closed for falling ice four times, for a total of 18 hours, from Feb. 19-22.
On average, each closure lasts about six hours. The longest closure took place last year, when the Mackinac Bridge was closed for 30 hours and 4 minutes on April 2-3. The shortest closure was for 37 minutes on Nov. 29, 2001, according to the the authority.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
@max_detroitnews
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Mackinac Bridge falling ice could close span. Find out how to get alerts
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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