Maintenance Crews Preview Lift Bridge Summer Work

MDOT maintenance crews have been seen during the past week, getting the Portage lake Lift bridge ready for upcoming traffic. Working on the Portage lake Lift Bridge calls for tight spaces, and dangerous conditions being so close to traffic. Over the last few days, crews have been out washing and painting the bridge, as well as removing salt and dirt built up over the long winter.

“The biggest thing for us will be the cleaning of it. We come in, clean it in the spring. We do, do a summer greasing of the cables. Which is done normally after midnight, in the evenings. End of June, and end of July. This year we do have a project going, where we are putting some false decking under the 26 bypass, just to keep material from falling onto the roadway from the deck up above.” – Tomo Deschanie, Transportation Maintenance Supervisor, MDOT

Throughout the summer local copper country residents can expect some routine maintenance projects on the bridge. Most of the time MDOT tries to schedule that work during low traffic times, typically during the early morning hours. As a reminder to drivers this summer, please use caution if road crews are working on the portage lake lift bridge. With limited space for crews and traffic, drivers need to slow down and pay attention while crossing the bridge near workers.