Mackinac Bridge traffic restricted after winds top 50 mph
ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — The Mackinac Bridge Authority restricted traffic on the 5-miles (8-kilometer) span Wednesday after winds in the Mackinac Straits topped 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour).
The authority just before 5 p.m. EST said it was allowing only passenger cars, passenger vans, and empty pickup trucks without tonneau covers, bed caps or similar items.
Motorists were being instructed to reduce their speeds to 20 mph (32 kilometers per hour) as they approached the bridge linking Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas and to prepare to stop. Bridge personnel were stationed at both ends of the bridge to provide instructions on how and when to proceed across the bridge.
When conditions improve, the bridge will reopen to all vehicles, although certain vehicles may still require an escort, the authority said.
The National Weather Service said winds gusting as high as 40 mph (64 kilometers per hour) were expected to continue overnight before diminishing on Thursday.