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New procedures take effect today for operation of the Houghton-Hancock Bridge.
The experimental rules will allow the Michigan Department of Transportation to restrict lifts to the top of the hour and the bottom of the hour between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm on weekdays.
There are some exceptions – the bridge will be lifted on signal for vessels longer than 300 feet. That does not include the Ranger III, which is 150 feet long. It will also be lifted if five or more boats are waiting. Federal holidays will be excepted.
The regimen is designed to make travel across the bridge a bit more predictable. The U.S. Coast Guard will be taking public comment about the changes through the summer. The experiment is scheduled to end September 6.
Because the Portage Canal is a federally regulated waterway, any permanent changes to the bridge’s operation would need to be approved by the Coast Guard through its formal rulemaking process.
