As part of ongoing bridge maintenance work, the M-26 northbound ramp onto the bridge in the city of Houghton will be closed until further notice. Traffic will be rerouted through downtown Houghton.
Motorists also should expect a single-lane closure of the outside northbound lane on the bridge. Both southbound lanes will be reopened Wednesday morning.
UPDATE from Tech Today: Change in Portage Lake Lift Bridge Closures
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will close the US-41/M-26 Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock for 10 hours beginning at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17. The bridge is scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18. The hockey game on Saturday, Jan. 17, has been moved to 5:07 p.m. to accommodate Huskies fans north of the bridge. In case of a weather delay, an alternate bridge closure date of Jan. 24 has been set.
Short Closures Schedule Change
The contractor has notified MDOT the previously scheduled four two-hour closures for Jan. 20, 21, 22, and 23 from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. will need to be rescheduled. The two-hour closures will be announced at a later date.
In addition to the Saturday, Jan. 17, closure, motorists should expect:
- Nearly 170 intermittent 15- to 20-minute closures from January to March, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- One 11-and-a-half-hour closure on March 21 from 9 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. with an alternate date of March 28 in case of weather delay.
