Mackinac Bridge
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The Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge opened for traffic on November 1, 1957 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.
No matter if it is spelled Mackinac (like the bridge) or Mackinaw (as in Mackinaw City) the 'ac' in Mackinac is pronounced 'aw'. Some folks go around saying they visited the Mackinack Bridge in Mackinaw City. Don't be one of those unknowing tourists.
Mackinac Bridge Photo Book
Mackinac Bridge (MI) (Images of America)
Amazon Price: $14.37 (as of 06/02/2012)
Excellent compilation of wonderful old photos from the construction of the Mackinac Bridge.
Footage of the Building of the Mackinac Bridge
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4th Annual Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing is September 16, 2011
Around 800 Tractors taking 3 Hours to cross!
Beginning around 10am September 16, 2011 around 800 antique tractors will take around 3 hours to cross the Mackinac Bridge and parade into St. Ignace on out to Kewadin Casino. The event is sponsored by Owosso Tractor Parts. Last year, 789 tractors were in the parade.For more info check out the details for this year's event at www.BobsTractorPartsCorner.com.
The only thing that will cancel or delay the event are high winds. Be sure to check the live bridge conditions here.
Where is the Mackinac Bridge Located?
What does Mackinac mean?
Anishinaabe-Ojibwe traveling the straits area named it Michilimackinac which is translated as "Land of the Great Turtle" as the shape of Mackinac Island looks like the back of a turtle
Mackinac Bridge Webcam
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Have You Ever Walked the Mackinac Bridge?
It amazes me the number of people I come across that have walked the Mackinac Bridge. Having walked it myself, it's almost like you're in this special club where the cost of membership is walking the five mile span above the straits.
Walking the bridge really gives you a chance to study the architecture and design behind it in a way that is impossible while driving (even if you are one of the few who obey the 45 m.p.h. speed limit). Plus, if you're lucky like me, on a windy day you will certainly feel (and see) the swaying of the Mackinac Bridge just as the engineers intended.
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Current Mackinac Bridge Conditions
Note: These are Real Time Conditions
Current Tolls for crossing the Mackinac Bridge
Per the Mackinac Bridge Authority
Passenger Vehicle $1.75 per axle or $3.50 per car
Passenger car, van, motorcycle, station wagon, SUV, two-axle pick-up truck, and school bus. (A van is a two-axle vehicle not primarily intended for carrying cargo or commercial goods.)
All Others $4.50 per axle
Vehicles not meeting passenger vehicle characteristics including but not limited to tractor trailers, buses, motor homes, and step or cube vans.
Passenger Vehicle $1.75 per axle or $3.50 per car
Passenger car, van, motorcycle, station wagon, SUV, two-axle pick-up truck, and school bus. (A van is a two-axle vehicle not primarily intended for carrying cargo or commercial goods.)
All Others $4.50 per axle
Vehicles not meeting passenger vehicle characteristics including but not limited to tractor trailers, buses, motor homes, and step or cube vans.
Odd Facts About the Mackinac Bridge
- If you wonder why it seems like every time you cross the bridge it is being painted - it is because it is. As soon as the painting crew is finished with painting the bridge (a task that takes 7 years) it is time to start from the beginning. It is this type of maintenance that keeps the bridge in such good condition.
- On April 24, 1959 Air Force Capt. John Lappo flew a RB-47E Stratojet under the bridge's deck. You can see and hear him reminisce about it in the video "Before the Bridge".
- When the bridge opened on November 1, 1957 it made the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse obsolete and led to its closing. The lighthouse was no longer needed for navigation due to navigation lights on the Mackinac Bridge's towers.
Books about the Mackinac Bridge
There are numerous books about the Mackinac Bridge from children's books to those that adults enjoy reading. Here are just a few of them.
Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk
2006 Labor Day Bridge Walk
September 3, 2007, marked the 50th Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. Only 68 people walked the bridge at the inaugural bridge walk in 1958 during the official bridge dedication in June of that year.
In 1959 Labor Day became the selected day for that and all subsequent bridge walks. Since then, about 50,000 people on average walk the bridge each Labor Day.
There is no charge to walk the bridge, but if you are leaving via the bus system from Mackinaw City (the walk begins on the St. Ignace side and heads south) there is a nominal fee (usually around a dollar or two). For more information about this year's bridge walk visit MackinacBridge.org.
50th Anniversary Mackinac Bridge Posters
The Mackinac Bridge officially opened on November 1, 1957 and last year celebrated 50 years of spanning the Straits of Mackinac. Part of the year-long celebration was the introduction of four really great 50th Anniversary posters of the Mighty Mac.
The $4 fee for each poster included - postage, printing, and sales tax. I bought the entire collection and I must say they are excellent posters and I am building a custom frame to display them.
I don't believe these posters are for sale anymore as I have been unable to find them at the Michigan E-store (via Michigan.gov).
Before the Bridge - The Car Ferries
The car ferry service began on July 31, 1923 with one little boat, Ariel, which could transport 20 cars at a time. The last new car ferry put into service was the Vacationland in 1952. The Vacationland could hold nearly 150 cars and trucks. Quite a jump from the 20 cars that the first boat in the car ferry service could hold.Just before the Mackinac Bridge opened on November 1, 1957 the five car ferries in the fleet had their highest volume ever before their service was terminated with the opening of the bridge.
Here is a list of the car ferries that served during the 34-year service:
Ariel - 1923
City of Sainte Ignace - 1924
City of Mackinaw City - 1924
Straits of Mackinac - 1928
City of Cheboygan - 1937
City of Munising - 1938
City of Petoskey - 1940
Vacationland - 1952
Mackinac Bridge Collectibles
Past Meets Present
This photo of the Mackinac Bridge was taken in 1959. It is a view of the bridge through the northern gate of Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City. I purchased it at Views of the Past in Mackinaw City quite a few years ago.
Ever traversed the Mackinac Bridge?
Share some stories/comments of your Mackinac Bridge memories here. Or post a question about the bridge.
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spa-products
Jun 22, 2011 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- I live in Michigan and I love the Mackinac area. In fact we will be traveling there in the next 2 weeks and going upward to Tequamanon Falls. My favorite place for my dad to take me when I was a child and now I share it with my children.
Congrats and thanks for sharing such a wonderful place. Anyone out there - I highly recommend you visit there if you are ever in Michigan. !!!!
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bjslapidary
Jan 30, 2011 @ 7:46 am | delete
- Love your lens. There is nothing like the Big Mac. It amazes me everytime I cross it. Thanks for sharing your lens.
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RobertDoucet
Oct 13, 2010 @ 9:43 pm | delete
- My dad and uncle were foremans for American Bridge on this job. Dad was over one side and his brother was over the other. They were photographed together shaking hands when the center span was set. Personally I have never seen the bridge, but one day want to visit.
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ViolinStudent
Sep 24, 2010 @ 2:28 pm | delete
- Bridges are SOOO Cool! Very nice lens!
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grannysage May 2, 2009 @ 6:33 pm | delete
- I am old enough to remember crossing the straits in the ferry when I was a child. I've been across the bridge many times, and when coming from the south, always have a sense of "coming home" when I get to the UP. As a Yooper, I felt compelled to add this lens to the Bridges week at Carnival of Squid. (Not my lens, but a great idea.) Check it out and vote yourself up. Also lensrolling it to Yooperology.
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Other great sites for Mackinac Bridge history and information
- Building the Mighty Mac
- This presentation is geared towards kids, but adults might find it interesting as well.
- Building the Mighty Mac Video
- Google Video has the color documentary of the Mackinac Bridge being built. You can view a 1:16 clip for free.
- Official Mackinac Bridge Website
- This site provides pictures of the bridge throughout its construction and current use, facts and figures about the Mackinac Bridge, the History of the bridge, monthly traffic stats and more.
- MDOT's Mackinac Bridge Page
- Mackinac bridge news and other items. Not as extensive as the official bridge website, but worth a look.
- Before the Bridge - Car ferry documentary
- This is the story of the fleet of ferries and ... all their predecessors that formed the first link between Michigan's two peninisulas.
- History of the Mackinac Bridge
- A nice overview of what it took to get to the construction phase of the bridge as well as a brief look at the construction of the bridge (unbelievable that this was constructed in just over 3 years).
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