Next phase in lift bridge maintenance begins

HOUGHTON — The next phase of the maintenance work on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge is ready to begin.

The northbound ramp from M-26 to the Portage Lake Lift Bridge will be closed again starting Monday evening.The closure is part of the next phase of the ongoing maintenance work on the bridge. Traffic will be rerouted down Montezuma Avenue then through downtown Houghton.

There will also be lane closures on the bridge with the occasional 15-20 minute complete closure of the bridge.

Marine traffic will also be affected as the bridge will only be raised on the hour for pleasure craft with no lifts at 8:00am, noon and 5:00pm. The bridge will continue to lift on demand for commercial vessels throughout the shipping season.

This phase is expected to be complete by December 15th with the entire project scheduled to be wrapped sometime next April.