The future is unclear for the popular Bring It Cruise In and Car Show because of the ongoing project to replace the Niles Main Street Bridge.

Niles City Administrator Ric Huff said Michigan Department of Transportation has the ultimate say in whether or not the city can close a portion of Main Street in downtown Niles for the weekly summer cruise-ins while bridge construction continues.

“We are trying to find an answer, but we just don’t have one yet,” Huff said at Monday’s city council meeting.

The subject was brought up by Dan Cox, a representative of the Bring It Supercar Club, in the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting.

Cox asked the council to provide an update on the status of the cruise-ins in light of rumors swirling around the city.

Huff said the conflict is with MDOT and the detour routes currently set up for the bridge project, which is expected to continue through November.

Even if MDOT allows the closure of Main Street, Huff said the city would have to place a number of new road closure signs at significant cost to the city.

“We ran some numbers today and we think that it could be pushing $15,000 to $20,000 just in signage costs,” he said.

Another possibility, Huff said, would be moving the cruise-ins to a different location, like Sycamore Street.

“Then we could significantly reduce those costs and not conflict as much with the detour signage in place,” he said.

Marc Milhander, who heads up the weekly cruise-ins, said Sycamore Street is not large enough to accommodate the spectators and display vehicles. He would like to see the event moved to Riverfront Park if it can’t be held on Main Street.

“I think that’s the best alternative,” Milhander said. “The sad part is that if we move anywhere away from Main Street we are blocking out the business owners that profit from Bring It.”

If the event is moved to Riverfront Park, Milhander said he would do everything he can to keep the downtown businesses involved, including setting up vendor booths at the park.

The Bring It Cruise In Car Show attracts hundreds of people to downtown Niles each Wednesday from June to August. The city typically closes Main Street from Fifth to Second Streets and some side streets for the evening event.

Huff said he would let cruise-in organizers know what he learns from MDOT.