Mackinac Bridge Closed 2nd Time In A Week Due To Falling Ice

 MACKINAC (WWJ) - The Mackinac Bridge has been temporarily closed to traffic due to falling ice.

The Michigan Department of Transportation on Tuesday said that warmer temperatures and increased sun have loosened ice that formed on the bridge's towers and cables, causing some of it to fall on the driving lanes below.

Bob Sweeney, CEO of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, said the falling ice is two-inches thick in some places.

"Our crews were out there again today — of course, they've been out the whole time — but the sun came out this morning, so they were on extremely high alert," Sweeney said. "And then they noticed ice did fall, hit some of the outside lanes, so we closed the bridge immediately, just after 10:30 this morning."

As a precaution, Sweeney said, the bridge will remain closed until the ice is clear or has stopped falling — which in the past has taken an average of a few hours, depending on weather conditions.

This comes after the bridge, which connects Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas, was closed last Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to around 4:30 p.m. for the same reason.

No injuries have been reported.

Sweeney said this is only the tenth time in 20 years that the bridge has closed.

Updates will be posted on the Mackinac Bridge website at this link and MDOT's Mi Drive traffic information website, at this link.