If you are commuting over the Portage Lake Lift Bridge between 2:00 and 5:00 AM the next two nights, be prepared for potentially lengthy delays. The last project had closures lasting around ten minutes. This time around, cars could be queuing for up to a half hour at a time.
The Michigan Department of Transportation says the work is for equipment replacement on the north bridge tower. Pedestrians and cyclists will also need to be aware of the construction. No completion date has been set yet for the overall repairs, but the season generally wraps up by the end of October.
Weather has remained mild, but snow becomes a possibility as fall continues. Lake Superior is near record warmth for this time of the year, creating the potential for potent lake effect snows under the right conditions.