A railroad crossing failure caused a portion of Michigan Highway 51 to be closed for several hours Tuesday in Niles.

M-51, also known as North 5th Street, was closed between Wayne and Pokagon streets to both northbound and southbound traffic around 10:30 a.m. as the mechanism that warns motorists of an oncoming train malfunctioned near the Niles Amtrak Station.

The road was blocked off by barricades at Wayne and Pokagon streets and by a police officer at Pokagon.

The Michigan Department of Transportation reported that the road re-opened around 1:30 p.m.