FAQs Archive | Page 7 of 13 | Mackinac Bridge Authority

I wouldn’t travel to the bridge if I thought there was a possibility of a closure. How can I find out when the bridge might have to close for falling ice, and how can I find out when the bridge has been reopened?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

The Authority website (www.MackinacBridge.org/conditions) is updated with current travel conditions for the bridge, including closures. Closure information is also posted on the Authority’s X page, @MackinacBridge. People who are interested in receiving text messages about bridge closures can sign up f… Read More

Why doesn’t the Authority provide regular updates during a falling ice closure about when the bridge will reopen?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

Simply put, it’s because we don’t know when the bridge will reopen. Once ice begins falling from the towers or cables, shaken loose though higher winds or rising temperatures, it’s impossible to know when that will end. Sometimes closures end because the ice has melted and completely cleared; sometimes it�… Read More

Has the Authority considered building a second deck on the bridge, one that could shield traffic from falling ice?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

Not really. The Authority is currently saving up to replace the existing deck, at an estimated cost of several hundred million dollars, but it’s unlikely the current superstructure could support a second deck. Again, for the few times falling ice closes the bridge, and the relatively short duration of those clos… Read More

Has the Authority tried shooting fireworks or driving a bulldozer across the bridge to shake the ice loose? How about a fruit or nut tree shaker, or loud horns?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

We’ve heard many ideas to shake ice loose from the bridge, and while some of them might have some limited potential success, they also come with risks of damaging the structure. We’ve also heard some far more outlandish ideas: shooting it down (yes, with guns), using hair dryers attached to drones, or blasting th… Read More

Why doesn’t the Authority install heat cables to the surfaces that ice up, or run a current through the bridge’s metal structure to prevent ice from forming?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

Some type of heating system could be possible but running a current through the bridge could result in corrosion of some bridge components, and heat cables would be costly to install and maintain. Other methods, such as devices that “patrol” cables to prevent ice from forming, are being tried on other bridges, b… Read More

Is there anything the Authority can do to speed the falling ice process so the bridge can reopen?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

During past falling ice closures, maintenance staff has driven fully loaded plow trucks across the bridge to help shake ice loose. In very narrow circumstances, when the bulk of ice has formed on the underside of the main cables, steeplejacks have gone out onto the cables to knock ice loose. Often, however, surfaces… Read More

I heard the new paint the Authority is using is causing more ice to form on the bridge. Even if it isn’t, what about using icephobic paint to prevent ice formation?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

It’s not the paint, we’ve been assured by our painting contractors and other experts. Icephobic paint is certainly something we can explore for future painting, but that type of paint is currently only in the research stages for the aviation industry. The Authority recently completed a multiyear, multimilli… Read More

The Authority claims that falling ice is dangerous, but I’ve been stopped for a closure and I can’t even see ice falling on the bridge deck. Is it really such a hazard for people crossing the bridge inside vehicles?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

Falling ice is definitely dangerous and a hazard for people even when they are inside their vehicles. Sheets of ice as large as garage doors fall from the flat surfaces of the bridge towers, ice spears that form on the suspender cables fall straight down toward the bridge deck, and chunks that have formed on upper cable… Read More

What does the Mackinac Bridge Authority do to prevent falling ice closures?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

There’s really very little that can be done to prevent this type of closure. Like partial and full closures for high winds and blizzards, falling ice closures are the result of weather that is difficult to predict or prevent. Ice usually forms during freezing rain or mixed precipitation events on the upper main and… Read More

How long does a typical falling ice closure last?

Posted on November 10th, 2022

The shortest closure was 37 minutes on Nov. 29, 2001. The longest closure to date was 20 hours and 15 minutes in a closure that started Feb. 23, 2019, and ended Feb. 24, 2019. The average closure lasts about five hours and 2 minutes. Over the last 30 years, which is roughly 262,800 hours, the bridge has been closed 146 hour… Read More