MDOT Public Hearing Next Week

Next week, the Michigan Department of Transportation will stop by the Lakeview Manor Community Room in Hancock to share their plans on the maintenance project for the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. The project is scheduled to begin this winter. Residents and business owners can review the plans for construction and ask questions at this public meeting next Thursday at 7pm. MDOT will perform upgrades and preventive maintenance work from mid-December 2014 to mid-April 2016. This $5.5 million project includes lift cable replacement, balance chain maintenance, electrical and mechanical upgrades, security system improvements, spot painting and new barrier gates. The project will require several long-term nighttime closures of the bridge and numerous short-term closures.