MACKINAW CITY — The Michigan Department of Transportation and the Mackinac Bridge Authority said work on the joint replacement project on the Mackinac Bridge has been delayed by cold, rainy weather earlier in the spring.
According to a press release, the delay pushes back the expected completion of this year’s work by about a week. This will cause extended lane closures through Memorial Day weekend.
While contractors have completed replacement of half of the modular joint over Pier 34 on the bridge, as well as repair and repaving the southbound lanes of the north viaduct, work continues on replacing the other half of the modular joint on the northbound lanes of the bridge. That work is now anticipated to be completed by May 29.
Northbound traffic crosses the Mackinac Bridge on Friday, May 17, 2024.
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“We worked with the contractor to ensure that the planned work could be completed prior to the Memorial Day weekend, but poor weather conditions delayed this year’s start of work and the modular joint installation took longer than expected,” said Bridge Director Kim Nowack. “Unfortunately, this means that there will be lane closures in place for the holiday weekend, but crews are working diligently to wrap the project up and get those lanes reopened.”
Officials said drivers should consider crossing the bridge at off-peak times or prepare for delays. Weekend traffic tends to peak between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and often results in traffic backups, even with all toll lanes open.
“While Memorial Day weekend typically marks the seasonal increase in traffic volumes on the bridge, we fortunately did not see backups during last year’s work, and traffic flowed smoothly,” Nowack said. “We hope that will be the case this holiday weekend.”
Last year, the northbound side of the bridge was repaired and repaved. That project was also delayed, with work and lane closures extending into mid-June.
— Contact Jillian Fellows at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: MDOT: Mackinac Bridge construction delayed by early spring weather
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