Mackinac County Sheriff Urges Caution for Ice Bridge Travelers

The Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office is urging caution for anyone looking to cross the Straits of Mackinac ice bridge.

Going from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island, it attracts people from around the state and beyond looking to make their way across.

The main message from the Mackinac County Sheriff’s Department is no ice is safe ice, even along the trees placed along the bridge.

While those living on Mackinac Island use it to get back and forth from the mainland, snowmobilers and even cyclists can be seen traveling as well.

The bridge is only open for a small of time every year, but people have been known to fall through the ice. In addition to that, the Straits of Mackinac make predicting how stable the ice is impossible.

“Even though the ice is solid and not moving on the top, that water is going underneath and today especially with the high winds that we have, it’s going to make that ice even more unstable,” said Sheriff Edward Wilk.

It’s important to note that the bridge is not maintained or checked by any city personnel, so caution is a must when traveling across.