The Mighty Mac

Mackinac Bridge

Mackinaw City, Michigan

The Mackinac Bridge is a massive suspension bridge that connects the Lower and Upper peninsulas of Michigan.  It spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Mackinaw City  (south) and St. Ignace (north).  Its total length is 26,372 feet (about 5 miles) making it one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.  The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.  Its designer was Dr. David B. Steinman.  Its two man towers rise 552 feet above the water.  The main suspension span is 3,800 feet long.  

Before the bridge ferries ran between Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula.  The state automobile ferry service began in 1923, expanding to a large fleet that included ships like the City of Cheboygan and the Vacationland.  Earlier railroad car ferries, established around 1881 by the Mackinac Transportation Company, also transported train cars across the straits.  

The 5-mile crossing took about an hour, but wait times to board a ferry often lasted hours or even up to 24 hours during peak travel periods like holidays or deer hunting season. Trafic lines for the ferries could stretch for many miles during peak summer tourist weekends. 

Construction History

Official construction began on May 7, 1954. Workers sank massive steel caissons into the bedrock to anchor the bridge towers. Spinning the massive steel suspension cables started in the summer of 1956.  The bridge was engineered to handle extreme winter winds up to 150 miles per hour. Over 11,000 workers helped built it.  Sadly, five men lost their lives during construction. 

Over 3,500 skilled men including ironworkers, divers and laborers braved terrifying heights and brutal conditions to construct the bridge.  They did this long before modern federal safety agencies existed, risking life and limb daily.  

Walking on Clouds

Twenty-one-year-old ironworker, Joe Oldeck recalled walking 550 feet p the narrow catwalk on a foggy fall morning.  He explained that they suddenly cleared the fog halfway up, revealing a beautiful surreal view where it felt "almost as if you could walk on the clouds."

Defying the Gales

Ironworkers frequently stood on steel beans just 12 inches wide, hundreds of feet above the water, facing powerful open-water winds coming off Lake Michigan with nothing to slow them down.

The Untimate Sacrifice

Tragically, five workers lost their lives during the project. They were Albert Abbott, Jack Baker, Robert Koppen, Frank Pepper and James LeSarge. All five men were officially memorialized on a plaque in Bridge View Park.

Opening Day Ceremonies

The bridge officially opened on a cold, breezy morning fulfilling a decades-long dream.

The Strategic Speech

The realization of the bridge was championed heavily by political figures.  Critics originally called the project "Soap's Folly" claming the underwater soil couldn't hold the weight and that winter ice packs would destroy the pillars. 

An Emotional Unity

During the formal ceremony in the middle of the bridge span, Governor G. Mennen Williams declared ..

"Where nature divided us, we have bound ourselves together with this web of steel."

Vehicles lined up for miles, waiting through the night for the ferry docks to close and the bridge gates to open.

The First Official Passenger

Governor Williams paid the very first toll.  Interestingly, because the Governor had not driven a car in a long time and did not have an active driver's license, his wife Nancy took the wheel and drove their official vehicle across.

The First Paying Customer

A colorful Chicago native named Albert Carter secured the spot as the first playing member of the general public.  Carter was an eccentric traveler who specialize in  being first in line for historic events including world's fairs and major expressway openings.  He paid $3.25 to drive his green1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Station Wagon across the Mighty Mac. 

It goes without saying what the economic impact the bridge immediately had on the Upper Peninsula.

The Mighty Mac

The bridge closes on rare occasions during severe winter weather including extremely high winds, low visibility or falling ice.  According to Google, there have only been approximately 33 ice related closures.