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Mackinac Bridge Reopens After Closure Due To Falling Ice

ST. IGNACE (WWJ/AP) - The Mackinac Bridge has reopened after falling ice from cables and towers forced its temporary closure.

Mackinac Bridge Authority CEO Bob Sweeney said freezing rain and snow is melting and then dropping in chunks from the cables and towers on the bridge following a winter storm Up North over the weekend.

"Today we have a beautifully clear, blue, sunny day and the temperatures or the sun's starting to heat up the steel on the bridge," Sweeney told WWJ's Beth Fisher.

"They can be pretty lengthy," he added, in terms of the size of chunks of ice. "They'll come in sheets of about 40 feet, but in this case the ice is not very thick — but it's still a safety concern, you know, if someone's driving and they see this big sheet coming toward them that can be larger than the vehicle that they're driving. It may create some issues."

Officials reopened the bridge during the afternoon. However, with some ice still falling and motorists are asked reduce their speed to a maximum of 20 mph, to remain alert and to exercise appropriate caution.

Sweeney said a closure of the Mighty Mac for this reason isn't that uncommon. In the 15 years he's worked there, he said it's happened maybe 15 times. In the last couple of years, he said this is the fourth time.

The bridge over the Straits of Mackinac connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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