Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Anyone heading up north for the Memorial Day holiday weekend should be prepared for possible delays on the Mackinac Bridge after weather delays pushed back completion for an ongoing, two-season construction project.

Cold, rainy weather early in the season has delayed completion of this year's work to repave portions of the Mackinac Bridge and replace a modular joint, which will result in extended lane closures.

MDOT North Region Media Representative James Lake told WHMI there was some pretty bad weather at the start of the project in late March that set things back so they’re running about a week late and won’t be able to meet the original schedule of re-opening prior to Memorial Day weekend. The weather system that pushed the project back involved freezing rain and then a falling ice situation at the bridge.

Lake said they typically do try to lift travel restrictions for the big holidays, but that won’t be the case for the upcoming holiday and only one lane will be open in each direction.

Lake said fortunately, this is the time of year when traffic is just starting to ramp up. He said last year when they had lane closures during the holiday weekend, they did not have significant back-ups but they wanted to get the word out now so people can modify their travel schedules and avoid peak times and back-ups if possible. Weekend traffic peaks between 10am and 4pm.

Lake said traffic did flow ok last Memorial Day weekend, and they’re hoping for the same this year. He stressed they recognize that nobody wants to be delayed and they’ll do everything they can to get the project wrapped up and out of the way for the rest of the summer season.

Last year, the northbound side of the bridge was repaired and repaved.

To ensure work on the southbound side was completed prior to the seasonal rise in traffic volumes on the bridge, the scope of work for this season was reduced. Deck repairs and repaving of the remaining sections of the southbound side of the bridge will be scheduled at a later date as a separate project.

More information is available in the provided link.