Five miles separate the lower and upper peninsulas in the state of Michigan. This is where the waters of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan connect in what’s called the Straits of Mackinac. The history of this area dates back to the Algonquin people who lived here before the Europeans arrived in the 17th century. They called it Michela Mackinac, which means the Great Turtle, a reference to the charming and ever so spectacular destination of nearby Mackinac Island, which looks like a little turtle emerging out of the water.
This area was a popular trading hub for fur and later for timber. By 1881, three different railways reached the straits, and as the new century got rolling, so did its car production and its highways.
But a car did no good, not when five miles of water stood between the two peninsulas. Inspiration came from New York of all places with the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883.
Michigan residents began to dream of what was possible. Could a big enough bridge be built to connect the two peninsulas? Hope soared, dreams began. A Saint Ignis store owner even published a drawing of the Brooklyn Bridge, captioning it with “Proposed Bridge Across the Straits of Mackinac.”
Pursuing the Dream Of Mackinac Bridge
The Michigan Legislature began discussing the possibilities too. It wasn’t that crazy of an idea. Mackinac Island National Park, now gaining popularity since its designation in 1875, was drawing more and more people to the region. Brainstorming ensued. Options included a bridge, a floating tunnel, or even a network of causeways and bridges across the straits, connecting several islands, including Mackinac Island. The answer though came in the form of ferry boats.
The State Highway Department, as directed by the Michigan Legislature, established a ferry service. For many years, 34 to be exact, the Michigan Department of Transportation ran a ferry system between the two peninsulas, from 1923 to 1957. Nine different ships linked roughly 12 million vehicles and over 30 million passengers between Mackinaw City and St. Ignis. The largest of the fleet was the 1952 Vacation Land, which could carry nearly 150 cars and trucks. The ferries were popular; traffic to board the ferries at times backed up 16 miles. They were also really expensive to run. There had to be a better way.
In 1928, Michigan Governor Fred W. Green ordered a study to explore the idea of constructing a bridge across the straits. It would be possible but with a hefty price tag, of course. The next step was the creation of the Mackinaw Straits Bridge Authority in 1934. The group attempted to secure federal funds twice but ultimately failed. It was the Great Depression, and times were tough. President Roosevelt and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers endorsed the project, but Congress never approved the financing.
Nevertheless, the project pushed forward with geological studies and route renderings. A 4,000-foot concrete causeway was constructed more or less as an initial test. One big obstacle, of course, was winter; the ice from the frozen lakes would put incredible weight and stress on the base of any bridge.
And then another obstacle arrived in the form of World War II. All plans were halted; in fact, the authority was abolished altogether by the state in 1947. But the project was renewed three years later; a new Mackinac Bridge Authority was created, and engineers were now hired. Finally, the state of Michigan approved $85 million in bonds for bridge construction. That number would be close to just shy of $700 million today. Chief Design Engineer David B. Steinman went to work.
Two contracts were awarded: the first to a company in New York for the major substructure work and the second to a division of the U.S. Steel Corporation for the steel superstructure. The construction of the Mackinac Bridge took three and a half years, utilizing four summers and zero winters. When it opened on November 1, 1957, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It took more than 11,000 men to complete it, including 350 engineers and workers on the bridge, in quarries, in shops, and in mills. The cost: $100 million and the lives of five dedicated bridge builders.
When the bridge was dedicated the following June in 1958, Oldsmobile provided 113 new cars to celebrate the event, including 83 white Oldsmobile convertibles carrying beauty queens from each county. Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams also led a walk across the bridge that began the great annual tradition of the Mackinac Bridge Walk, where the governor leads a walk across the bridge each Labor Day.
Today, the bridge is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world at five miles long. It remains, however, the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. At its midpoint, the roadway is 200 feet above the water. Suspension bridges by nature are built to move to accommodate the weather, the wind, the temperature, and also the weight. It is possible during very high winds for the center deck to move as much as 35 feet. In June of 2022, the 200th million vehicle crossed the Mighty Mac. It’s estimated that an average of 11,600 vehicles cross each day.
The Mackinaw Bridge is an architectural and engineering feat of its time, offering an easy, safe, and simply beautiful connection between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.
