Enbridge retrieves rod from bottom of Straits of Mackinac

MACKINAW CITY, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge says it has retrieved a 45-foot steel rod that was resting against an underwater oil pipeline where Lakes Michigan and Huron converge. The debris was in the Straits of Mackinac since September. That's when a borehole collapsed during work in advance of the construction of a tunnel to surround the pipes. Enbridge says favorable weather conditions allowed it to deploy a remote-operated vehicle to remove the rod Saturday. Under an agreement with Michigan, Enbridge will shut down the underwater segment of Line 5 and replace it with a pipe housed in a tunnel drilled through bedrock beneath the straits.