HOUGHTON – Snowmobilers crossing the ice near the lift bridge assume a risk. While temperatures have been below the freezing point for some time now, crossing Portage Lake on the ice near the bridge is dangerous. For this reason, the city of Houghton has barricaded the crossing located at the north end of Quincy Street in Houghton.

One of the principal reasons for the danger is a percentage of road salt used in treating ice issues on the lift bridge often winds up beneath the bridge, rendering the ice unsafe.

“There are spots on the lake, particularly near the bridge, that never completely freeze over,” Lt. Nicholas Roberts of the Houghton Police Department said. “They stay soft all winter.”

During the winter months the lift bridge is kept in the lower position, which allows snowmobilers to use the lower deck to cross the lake in safety. This winter, however, the lower deck is not user-friendly.

“Some of the reasons the snowmobilers are going across the lake is because usually there are rubber mats put down on the deck to make travel easier,” Roberts said. “But this winter, because of the work on the bridge, and the frequent raising and lowering of the span, the mats couldn’t be put down this year. So, taking machines over the bare metal of the deck is really hard on the sleds.”