Next Phase Of Bridge Work Set To Begin

Ongoing maintenance work on the Portage Lake Lift will move into the next phase this fall, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) cautions motorists to be aware of traffic impacts in the Houghton-Hancock area through December.

Moving into the fall construction season, crews will be focusing on deck sealing, warning and barrier gates, roadway level steel repairs, and operator house work. While intermittent, short-term 15- to 20-minute closures of the bridge may still be scheduled at a later date, most of this work will only require lane closures.

From Sept. 15 to Dec. 15, motorists should expect single-lane closures. Additionally, some closures of one side of the bridge will be necessary during this period. At these times, two-way traffic will be maintained on the open side of the bridge.

As part of the maintenance project, the M-26 northbound ramp onto the bridge in the city of Houghton was closed from January through March. Traffic was rerouted through downtown Houghton. That closure will again be in effect as needed for work on the bridge structure. The ramp will be closed on the evening of Sept. 14.

Marine traffic will also be affected by the project. Bridge lifts for marine traffic will be restricted from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15. During this period, the bridge will only perform on-the-hour openings for pleasure craft. There will be no lifts at the 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. hours. The bridge will continue to lift on demand for commercial vessels throughout the shipping season.

This $8.4 million project involves upgrades and preventive maintenance on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock. It started in mid-December 2014 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-April 2016.