Drivers in Michigan are encouraged to prepare for backups this Memorial Day as the repaving project on the Mackinac Bridge will not be completed before the holiday.
According to the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA), the repaving project was scheduled to be completed by May 23. However, due to additional patch work and an inability to field full crews, the contractor doesn’t expect to complete the project until June 7 or reopen the bridge before Memorial Day.
During construction, there will be only one lane open to traffic. Weekend traffic peaks have resulted in backups, even with all toll lanes open.
"We have not only allowed, but strongly encouraged, the contractor to work around the clock and through weekends to get this project wrapped up ahead of the surge of traffic we expect for the holiday weekend," said MBA Chief Engineer Cole Cavalieri. "We know that having lane closures on the bridge for Memorial Day travel will result in delays and backups, so we ask customers to be patient and consider crossing at off-peak times.”
Wide-load restrictions are in place in both directions during construction. Wider loads will be allowed to cross once per day between 7 and 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Traffic will be stopped for those crossings.
Work will resume in late March 2025 with repaving the southbound lanes. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 22, 2025.
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Source: 7 ABC, WHMI
