UPDATE noon April 2 |
ST. IGNACE — As of mid-morning Wednesday, April 2, the Mackinac Bridge was again closed due to falling ice.
According to an April 2 news release from the Mackinac Bridge Authority, while they cannot predict when the bridge can be reopened, more closures seem likely due to the amount of ice that still remains on the bridge’s towers and cables.
This is the third closure of the bridge in three days following an accumulation of freezing rain that hit the bridge late last week, depositing several inches of ice in spots. The bridge was closed for falling ice from about 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 31; from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1; and since 2:30 a.m. today.
“Unlike high wind closures where weather forecasts can give us solid information on when winds are expected to diminish, guessing when ice will fall and stop falling is just a guess,” Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack said. “Factors like wind, sunshine and rising temperatures may give us hints that falling ice may be imminent, but no clear timing. For the safety of all involved, we need to keep our system simple: when ice is falling from the towers and cables, we close the bridge until it stops.”
Maintenance staff at the bridge have said the amount of ice that has formed is unprecedented, and the size of ice sheets, spears and chunks that are falling are dangerous to anyone out on the bridge deck during those times.
“Given the amount of ice that remains on the cables and towers, any falling ice closures are likely to be lengthy, and could start and stop at any time,” Nowack said. “Local emergency and relief services are strained, many local businesses are closed, and there are still power outages in the Straits area, so we discourage travelers from coming here expecting to cross the bridge. Please don’t travel here if it’s not absolutely necessary.”
Falling ice is a hazard for people even when they are inside their vehicles. Sheets of ice as large as garage doors fall from the flat surfaces of the bridge towers, ice spears that form on the suspender cables fall straight down toward the bridge deck, and chunks that have formed on upper cables fall hundreds of feet (the tower tops are more than 300 feet above the roadway). Some of those pieces that have survived the fall are as large as a loaf of bread, and windshields and roofs have been caved in on both MBA and private vehicles.
For updates on the Mackinac Bridge closures, check condition reports on their website at MackinacBridge.org, on X at @MackinacBridge, or by signing up for text alerts by texting “MacBridge” to 67283.
The MBA has posted a video message on X from Bridge Director Kim Nowack about the falling ice, along with some photos from the bridge. More videos of falling ice that prompted the current closure were also posted on X.
The bridge has closed roughly 30 times in the past 30 years, and the average closure duration is several hours. More frequently asked questions about falling ice and other topics are available on the MBA website.
UPDATE 9:20 a.m. April 2
ST. IGNACE — The Mackinac Bridge has closed for a third time on Wednesday, April 2, due to ice storms causing icefall dangers for automobiles crossing the bridge.
UPDATE 7:20 p.m. April 1
ST. IGNACE — The Mackinac Bridge has been reopened to travel as of 7:07 p.m. after two separate closures related to falling ice concerns after an ice storm.
UPDATE 9:15 a.m. April 1
ST. IGNACE — The Mackinac Bridge has closed for a second time on Tuesday, April 1, due to ice storms, causing icefall dangers for automobiles crossing the bridge.
UPDATE 7:10 p.m. March 31
ST. IGNACE — According to the Mackinac Bridge Authority, the bridge is now back open to all traffic.
Original story
ST. IGNACE — The Mackinac Bridge was closed for a few hours on March 31 due to ice storms, causing icefall dangers for automobiles crossing the bridge.
According to a March 31 Mackinac Bridge Authority alert, the bridge was closed at 2:23 p.m. at northbound and southbound I-75 at the Mackinac Bridge due to risks of ice falling onto the bridge surface.
According to the bridge authority, falling ice hazards are what prompt the authority to close the bridge while ice is falling and it is most dangerous when it falls from 300 feet up near the top of the towers and cables.
A 2022 video from the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) shows real-life footage and still images of kitchen table-sized sheets and 20-foot-long spears of ice shattering on the bridge deck to help explain why the bridge must be closed when ice is falling.