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Only a few days remain until the bridge closing.
The Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock is scheduled to be closed for 10 hours this weekend.
The Michigan Department of Transportation says the bridge will close beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday and is scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. Sunday.
M-DOT says the closure is required to disconnect lift cables from the bridge’s lift span.
Other short and long-term closures will continue to occur through March during the $8.4 million bridge maintenance project that began this winter.
Emergency vehicles will be able to cross the bridge during all closures. Except for the January 17 and a second closure on March 21, snowmobile traffic will be maintained throughout the project.
Waiting rooms on each side of the Portage Canal have been arranged for motorists without an alternate place to stay during the all-night bridge closures. The Magnuson Hotel Franklin Square Inn in Houghton and Lakeview Manor in Hancock have agreed to provide warm spots for motorists to sit and wait for the bridge to reopen.
