Talk:Mackinac Bridge

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[edit] Questions

Is the deck of the suspended portion actually attached and resting on the main tower or is it just one big 8000 foot span held up by the main tower. I've been under the impression that bridge just went through the towers and all its weight was supported by the cables. KelleyCook 22:25, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

  • From the Dirty Job episode, it appears the road is hung from the cables and the cables are hung over the towers so while the road passes through the towers, the towers don't directly support the road. But there was something about truss hangers on the towers. I have it on tape so I'll double check when I get a chance...Dwp49423 13:46, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Was the Mackinac Bridge design inspired by the design of the Golden Gate Bridge? --SuperDude 03:42, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

  • no, suspension bridges have been around for many, many years prior to the GGB

How does the cable bent pier effect the length of the suspended portion of the bridge? How does that compare to other suspension bridges?

How long are other suspension bridges in total length, from shore to shore, for example?

[edit] Map

The map currently on the page is truly horrific. I'm not good with graphics and maps myself, but there must be a better basic Michigan map available which doesn't distort the shape and relative sizes of the peninsulas. --Dcclark 20:39, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Labor unions

Isn't there some festival of steel workers celebrated near the Mackinaw Bridge? Also, what is the significance of walking the bridge on Labor day (related to Labor unions?) MPS 19:30, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Death of worker

A recently added "trivia" item by User:MPS says that three workers died during construction--one of whom is embedded somewhere in the concrete. I highly doubt this is true, but the other trivia added along with it is valid, so I'm checking here before removal. Where did you get this information?

I got the "three deaths" from random googled site that I can't find anymore. New search turned up this "Bridge workers toiled without safety harnesses or nets. Perched high above the waters, they relied on guts and skill. The dangers claimed the lives of a diver, one laborer and three steel workers during the 42-month construction" . As for the death by concrete thing... being from Northern Michigan, you hear this story a lot. It could be Urban Legend but it's just as notable as local legend even if it is not verifiably true.MPS 13:57, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

Years ago while up north with my parents, we took a boat tour beneath the Mighty Mac. The narrator said there are no bodies buried in the concrete. Read/Heard/Saw somewhere (Mythbusters?) that a body would weaken the concrete if left. Dwp49423 15:06, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Found a written source confirming there are no bodies in the concrete of the bridge. [[1]] However, one body was never recovered-this could be the source of the rumor. Dwp49423 20:55, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Yugo blew off: 1989 or 1987?

A line about a Yugo being blown off the bridge was recently added, citing a date of 1987. I changed the date to 1989 based on these sources: Detroit News and State News (note that they name the car as a 1987 Yugo). I found a few references to the fall happening in 1987, but these sources seem most reputable. Does anyone have some actual newspaper clippings or more definite information? --Dcclark 07:21, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

My Bad. It looks like the 1987 Yugo blew off in 1989. MPS 13:59, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
Same here, sorry for the confusion. Gsgeorge 17:04, 12 July 2005 (UTC)


[edit] dog's sway breaking the bridge

I heard three out of five friends say they have seen articles saying something re:dogs wadle enough given an "x" amount of traffic of dogs to make the center span of approx. 135 ft.collapse the mackinaw bridge.can you please research this for me.They say they saw it in some magizine article.



Wikipedia is not a Q&A site, and we don't do research. This sounds like a math problem, so you may want to study more related to that. Best of luck —dcclark (talk) 19:15, 23 September 2005 (UTC)
Unlikely; the Myth Busters disproved the myth of the marching army collapsing a bridge so I highly doubt dogs could... In order for anything to collapse a bridge it would have to be close to; or over the overloading limit of the structure anyways.

[edit] For the cars that fell in the water.....

Can we add the date (mm/dd/yy) of 'em?

[edit] Vanderbilt

The current article states:

On July 1, 1888, at a meeting board of directors of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, the famous entrepreneur Cornelius Vanderbilt advocated the building of a bridge across the straits in order to help lengthen the resort season of the hotel

Cornelius Vanderbilt died in 1877. Anybody want to correct this with the right information?Civil Engineer III 14:18, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

  • An otherwise legitimate source is incorrect here. The Detroit News' section "The Breathtaking Mackinac Bridge" reads: In 1887, a group of investors headed by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, opened the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Vanderbilt remarked; "We now have the largest well-equipped hotel of its kind in the world for short season business. Now what we need is a bridge across the Straits." Dwp49423 22:41, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Interstate Highway System deficiency

It should be noted that the Mackinac Bridge has several features that don't conform to the Interstate Highway standards. For instance, the article states that the inner travel lanes only have a width of 11 ft, narrower than the specified 12 feet. Also, the speed limit is only 45 mph, less than AASHTO's required minimum 50 MPH, and the desired 70 MPH for rural areas, not to mention Michigan's specification of 75 MPH (60 MPH for urban areas). Additionally, the center mall is no Jersey barrier, so the roadway is, for all intents and purposes, an undivided road; also there are no shoulders.

So, isn't this bridge a deficient section of an Interstate Highway? Is this an example of a pre-Interstate era bridge that was "grandfathered" into the system? --141.213.178.11 04:21, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Minor detail, but Michigan expressways are 70 MPH, not 75. I presume that yes, it was "grandfathered" in, as correcting the "deficiencies" would probably be impossible on the bridge. I imagine there may exist a source somewhere for this, but I'm not sure it's actually that big of a deal. There are lots of odd segments of highways, many on bridges. -- dcclark (talk) 04:29, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Length

I added the following: "However, because of the long leadups to the anchorages on the Mackinac, from waterline to waterline it is much longer than the Akashi-Kaikyo (5 miles compared to 2.4)." While the Mackinac is comparatively short between towers, it is very long from the towers to the shoreline, thus making it twice as long a structure as the AK. We should make this clear. I used to think the AK was longer than 5 miles, but I guess not. Does this mean that the Mackinac is the longest suspension bridge measuring from shoreline to shoreline? (i.e. not including non-suspension bridges, or hybrids like the Chesapeake Bay or Lake Ponchartrain Causeway which are longer than 5 miles) If it is, we should mention that as well. Regardless of bridges that have longer spans, the Mackinac is still a mighty structure that may have no equal. Ypsidan 01:39, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trivia: Steinman quote

I removed the following text from the trivia section. Although plausible, I could find no reference to the quote anywhere. Furthermore, according to wikipedia guidelines, direct quotations always require citations.

Before the bridge was opened a reporter asked Steinman what would happen if a Great Lake freighter hit the bridge. Steinman replied that "that the ship will sink with a large loss of life".

I should have signed the above comment with: -- Taranah 17:22, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ferry Service

The article says this:

In 1923, the state legislature ordered the State Highway Department to re-establish ferry service across the strait.

But no where that I can see does it say when the ferry service stopped before 1923. BeckyAnne 00:06, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Yoopers and the Trolls?

Residents of the Upper Peninsula ("Yoopers") often refer to Lower Peninsula residents as "trolls" because they live "below the bridge."


I wouldn't say that Yoopers call those under the bridge trolls: let alone "often". I don't and no one I know does. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.90.98.114 (talk • contribs)

It certainly happens. Perhaps it is more common as you get deeper into the UP (I'm in Houghton), but it's fairly common. -- dcclark (talk) 21:34, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
Yoopers and Trolls phrase is part of Michigan History, I live miles below the bridge and I know about the Yooper and Trolls names, always said tongue in cheek. BeckyAnne(talk) 21:38, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
I may have been the one to add that ... but in any case I can vouch that it's common in the northern lower peninsula. Do we need a source? google says... [2] Michigan Tech student handbook is certainly reliable source. MPS 01:03, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
Adding a source never hurts, and it does look like a reliable source to me, but I am just a newbie. BeckyAnne(talk) 01:09, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
Another thought came to me, most people from Michigan have heard of the term, but not everyone reading this article will be from Michigan, and it can be seen as derogatory, and someone may challenge the term. BeckyAnne(talk) 01:18, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Counties

What county does the Bridge end at its south end--Emmet or Cheboygan?

  • It appears to end on the county line. I know I-75 does duck into Emmet County just before the bridge but looking at a Mapquest view the southern terminus appears to be right on the line.

Dwp49423 18:50, 28 July 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Firewood inspections

This page about the Michigan government shutdown says that there are firewood inspections on the Mackinac Bridge. Whyever would they do that? If someone could add a para on the article explaining why, I think that would make a valuable addition to the article. 217.42.190.82 20:17, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

They are not inspecting the firewood, they are taking it. They are trying to stop the spread of Emerald Ash Borer. BeckyAnne(talk) 21:26, 30 September 2007 (UTC)