2-year-project to repaint south tower of Mackinac Bridge to begin next week

North tower repainting was recently completed

Mackinac Bridge/2010

A two-year project to repaint the south tower of Michigan's Mackinac Bridge will begin next week.

A previous two-year project to repaint the north tower was recently completed.

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"Right now, we expect the repainting to begin sometime the week of April 22, as weather allows," said Mackinac Bridge Authority Executive Secretary Bob Sweeney. "As with the north tower repainting, this work will require lane closures on the bridge near the tower, and some intermittent closures while Seaway stages equipment, so we ask that customers use extra caution when crossing."

Traffic impact

Closures on the northbound lanes will be lifted on Fridays and on southbound lanes on Sundays during peak traffic weekends. Lane closures also will be removed as needed for other high-traffic volume times, such as holidays.

Project details

The project will begin with stripping and painting on some of the tower's interior "cells," and installation of an enclosure for painting the outside of the tower. The portions of the tower below the bridge deck are expected to be painted in 2020.

The original paint is lead-based and Seaway is required to contain 100 percent of the paint as it is removed and ship it to an appropriate landfill facility. The new paint, which is zinc-based, is expected to last at least 35 years, with periodic maintenance.

The south tower contract is for just less than $6.5 million, and Seaway is required to complete the project by Dec. 31, 2020. The contract to repaint the north tower was just less than $6.3 million.

Sweeney said that until the 1970s, the bridge authority hired contractors to spot paint the bridge towers as needed. Since the late '70s, MBA employees have handled that task. 

Construction on the Mackinac Bridge began in May 1954 and the completed structure was opened to traffic on Nov. 1, 1957. The MBA's sole source of funding is from tolls and fees collected, with all revenue used to maintain, operate and protect the bridge. 


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.