GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — Above the Grand River in Grand Haven, the drawbridge serves as a well-known welcome to the popular summer town.
But on Friday afternoon, it was the scene of a traffic nightmare during the busy holiday weekend.
"Horrible timing, bad luck and Murphy's Law all happened," Michigan Department of Transportation spokesman John Richard said.
The sweltering heat prevented the locking mechanisms from lining up at the drawbridge on US-31, forcing officials to close it for nearly three hours.
"I've never heard of that happening," Richard explained. "Usually there are short-term delays, like the gates won't open up, but nothing like what happened on Friday."