Mackinac Bridge Authority

Mackinac Bridge Authority
Authority overview
Formed 1950
Jurisdiction Mackinac Bridge
Headquarters N415 Interstate 75,
St. Ignace, Michigan
45°50′53″N 84°43′24″W / 45.8481°N 84.7232°W
Authority executives Chairman, William H. Gnodtke
Executive Secretary, Bob Sweeney
Website www.mackinacbridge.org

The Mackinac Bridge Authority is an independent state agency of the U.S. state of Michigan that operates the Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac.

History

The Mackinac Bridge Authority was created in 1950 to study the feasibility of constructing a suspension bridge to connect Michigan's Lower Peninsula with its Upper Peninsula.[1] The MBA was empowered by legislation in 1952 "to issues revenue bonds ' for the purpose of paying for the cost of a bridge.'"[2] The authority managed the bridge's construction from 1954 until 1957, and has overseen the operation of the bridge since its opening on November 1, 1957, although the authority was originally scheduled for dissolution in 1986 after the last of the bonds were to be paid in full.[3]

The Mackinac Bridge Authority has been directed by the state of Michigan to maintain the Mackinac Bridge as a self-supporting facility. The Mackinac Bridge is a toll bridge, with the tolls set at a level determined by the authority and its governing board.

Members of the governing board of the Mackinac Bridge Authority are appointed by the Governor of Michigan.[4] The MBA is an independent state agency responsible for the Mackinac Bridge and thus maintains that section of the overall State Trunkline Highway System. The MBA works with the Michigan Department of Transportation but does not report to it. The executive secretary of the MBA is appointed by MDOT with MBA approval, and the MDOT director serves on the board.[5] William Gnodtke has been the chairman of the board since 2002,[6] and the executive secretary is Bob Sweeney.[4]

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Rubin (1985), p. 15,
  2. ↑ Rubin (1985), p. 29.
  3. ↑ Rubin (1985), pp. 115, 125, 159.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Staff (n.d.). "Mackinac Bridge Authority". Office of the Governor. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Bridge Legislation Signed". The Grand Rapids Press. Associated Press. December 29, 2005. p. B3. OCLC 9975013.
  6. ↑ Staff (n.d.). "Meet the Board Members". Mackinac Bridge Authority. Retrieved December 5, 2014.

Works cited