Manitoulin swing bridge reopened, closed to marine traffic

There was a bit of a scene at the Little Current swing bridge on Highway six Friday morning, leaving people stranded on both the mainland and on Manitoulin Island for more than an hour.

It reopened around noon after being stuck in the open position for a short time.

The bridge is the only land access to the island and at regular intervals, it turns to allow larger boats through the channel.

The Ministry of Transportation told CTV News in an email Friday afternoon that high winds damaged sensors on the bridge while it was in the open position.

Manitoulin and other communities along the north shore of Lake Huron are under a weather alert that is expected to continue into the evening, with wind gusts of up to 70 km/h.

Because of the strong winds, the MTO has closed the bridge to marine travel and will not be swinging it until the gusts have died down. Meanwhile, the bridge remains open to vehicles.

"MTO expects to complete a test swing (Saturday) morning once winds have diminished," ministry spokesperson Mike Fenn told CTV News.

Last year, it was decided the iconic swing bridge will be replaced with a new two-lane structure, similar in design built west of the current one, as it nears the end of its service life.