Michigan lawmaker proposes study of Mackinac Bridge ice-related closures

A Michigan House representative whose district includes the Mackinac Bridge wants to research why the bridge needed to close more frequently than usual this winter due to ice. 

"The Mackinac Bridge is the linchpin connecting Michigan's two peninsulas," said Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs. "When the bridge closes, it puts serious strain on families, workers, and businesses across the state. Safety has to come first, but closures have become far more frequent in recent years." 

District 107, which Fairbairn represents, includes parts of both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan, including the communities connected by the Mackinac Bridge. 

The Mackinac Bridge has averaged one or two ice-related closures per year for the past 30 years. But during this past winter, the state lawmaker said, the bridge needed to close at least a dozen times, with some closures lasting for more than 30 hours at a time. 

To compare, the bridge authority says ice-related closures before this winter averaged just under six hours at a time. 

"We all understand that closing the bridge is sometimes necessary to keep people safe, and we also know that every closure creates problems for commuters, travelers and businesses," Fairbairn said. "Drivers can be stranded for hours, businesses lose money, and deliveries are delayed. In the past, one closure nearly resulted in a fuel shortage in the eastern U.P. because supply trucks couldn't get through." 

His request is for $600,000 to allow Michigan Technological University in Houghton to research structural conditions, road surface issues and weather patterns in an effort to determine any underlying causes and propose solutions for the ice-related closures. 

"Our friends at the National Weather Service found no increased frequency of freezing rain advisories or warnings around the bridge, though we are seeing more brief warmups during winter in recent years, which may be contributing to falling ice events," the bridge authority says. 

"There's really very little that can be done to prevent this type of closure. ... Because there are no anti-icing or de-icing technologies on the bridge, Authority staff generally just need to wait until the ice has stopped falling (either because it has all cleared or temperatures have dropped and it stops falling) to reopen the bridge to traffic." 

The Michigan Tech study would also evaluate the economic impact that weather-related closures have on the region, Fairbairn said. 

The above video originally aired on April 1, 2025.