On the Road 8 x 30; 24 x 7

07-23-2005 Mackinac Bridge

It was a grand vista of the Mackinac Straits crossing the bridge. The speed limit is 45mph; 20 mph for loaded trucks. The toll was $2.50 for The Beast ($1.25 per axle) to cross. As early as 1854 the local newspapers pointed out in a story from the Grand Traverse Herald that if a great east-west route were ever to be established through Michigan, a bridge or tunnel would be required. The dedication of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York in 1883 gave Mackinac Bridge backers encouragement. The Mackinac Bridge connects Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas at the Straits of Mackinac. Mackinaw City is located at the south end, and at the north end is St. Ignace. The Mackinac Bridge is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world, and is still the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.

The Mackinac Bridge has a total length of 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge, including anchorages, is 8,614 feet. The length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier is 7,400 feet. The length of the main span, between towers, is 3,800 feet. The width of the bridge deck is 54 feet. The two outside lanes are 12 feet wide, the two inside lanes are 11 feet wide, the center mall is 2 feet wide, and the catwalk, curb and rail width is 3 feet on each side, totaling 54 feet. The Bridge weighs 1,024,500 tons. The concrete weighs 931,000 tons. The substructure, below water, weighs 919,100 tons. The tow anchorages have a combined weight of 360,380 tons. The weight of the structural steel is 71,300 tons. The combined weight of cable wire alone is 11,840 tons. The concrete roadway only weighs 6,660 tons. The steel superstructure will support one ton per lineal foot per roadway, northbound or southbound. The length of the steel superstructure is 19,243 feet. Each direction will, therefore, support 19,243 tons, or a total of 38,486 tons. The Mackinac Bridge contains 466,300 cubic yards of concrete while the substructure below water contains 451,000 cubic yards of concrete. The total length of wire in the main cables is 42,000 miles. Maximum tension in each cable is 16,000 tons. The number of wires in each cable is 12,580. The weight of the cables is 11,840 tons. The diameter of the main cables is 24 1/2 inches. The diameter of each wire is 0.196 inches or .498 centimeters. During construction a large fog bell was placed at the base of each tower to guide approaching vessels during poor visibility. In March of 1961, a fog horn was installed. The bells have been silent ever since. The "South Tower Fog Bell" is now displayed at Bridge View Park in front of the Observation Building. In 1923 the Department of State Highways began providing car ferry service between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan. When the Mackinac Bridge opened to traffic November 1, 1957, the car ferry service ended. In 34 years of service, the ferries, operated by the Department of State Highways, carried approximately 12 million vehicles and more than 30 million passengers across the Straits of Mackinac. The new $100 million bridge came as a blessing and a necessity, boosting tourist traffic in the Upper Peninsula and helping economic development. Driving by auto, high above the blue waters of the Straits is a memorable experience. But to early ferry passengers the leisurely five-mile ferry trip was a thrill of its own. For many, it was their only experience aboard a ship. I remember as a kid crossing the Mississippi on the Alton Ferry. What a thrill for a small-town girl!

Construction of the Mackinac Bridge officially began amid proper ceremonies on May 7 and 8, 1954 (the year I was born!) at both St. Ignace and Mackinaw city. The schedule for the first year called for construction of the six foundations that would support the suspended portion of the Mackinac Bridge - the anchorages, cable-bent piers and main tower foundations. Merritt-Chapman & Scot Corporation's $25,735,600 agreement to build all the foundations led to the mobilization of the largest bridge construction fleet ever assembled. The American Bridge Division of United States Steel Corporation was awarded a $44,532,900 contract to build the superstructure and began its work of planning and assembly.

The Bridge opened to traffic on schedule, November 1, 1957 despite the many hazards of marine construction over the turbulent Straits of Mackinac. The last of the Mackinac Bridge bonds were retired July 1, 1986. Toll revenues are now used to preserve and maintain the State of Michigan's single largest asset and one of the world's leading suspension bridges. All suspension bridges are designed to move to accommodate wind, change in temperature, and weight. It is possible that the deck at center span could move as much as 35 feet, east or west, due to high winds. This would only happen under sever wind conditions. The deck would not 'swing' or 'sway' but rather move slowly in one direction based on the force and direction of the wind. After the wind subsides, the weight of the vehicles crossing would slowly return it back to center position! That gave me the creeps as we drove across.

After the Monat's first historic bridge crossing, we went west on Hwy 2 at the first exit over the bridge. The National Forest Visitor Center was closed on Saturday but we checked the map on their bulletin board. We saw miles of beaches along Lake Michigan where people were pulled over on the side of Hwy 2 (cars, trucks with boats, campers, RVs and motorcycles.) We continued west to Brevort and had lunch at White Trail Resort Restaurant; an old diner attached to a 1940's motel. I had a Turkey Pastie (Pass'tee; the 'a' is short), a meat filled pastry pie. Our waitress asked if I wanted gravy, ketchup or plain. I went with gravy. Later I heard her tell the guy behind us that they like 'ketchup' up in the parts. (A few days later our neighbor, Paul, said he likes butter melted on top of his.) Bob had a Bison Burger and we shared a cup of heavenly Chicken and Rice Soup. This was the best food we've found in Northern Michigan. We just had to get all the way to the UP I guess. They had an Elk Burger too. I hope I get to try one later on.

We drove back east on Hwy two just east of Lake Michigan State Park where we found a scenic overlook with stairs down the cliff to the beach. We walked for two and a half hours with, and without, our shoes depending on if there was enough shoreline or we had to wade out into Lake Michigan. We only ran in to a handful of other people. The shoreline is very pristine and isolated here. Once again the water, sky and beach are just breathtakingly gorgeous. It is a great 80-degree day. It is cooler by about 10 degrees along the lakeshore as usual. We hunted for Petoskey Stones to no avail but it was sure fun looking. The water feels cold even though the news reports it is 72 - 76 degrees (warmer than normal for this time of year they say.) We saw a guy sitting in a sawed off lawn chair about 20 yards from shore in a small bay. He looked like he was snoozing. On the beach was a giant alarm clock, like a cartoon version with two huge bells on the top. I guess he sets it so he wakes up and doesn't get burnt to a crisp. We packed it in and cleaned off our shoes around 4:30.

There was a roadside park on Hwy 2 so we pulled in to make a phone call since all of the bars showed up on the cell phone. I made reservations for our next destination at Rapid River on the western half of the Upper Peninsula. We drove east just a few miles and found a scenic overlook where you could view the bridge. But the view was blocked by some trees so I couldn't get a picture of the entire span of the bridge. On the way back south we stopped at Bridge View exit on the north side of the Straits before crossing back over the bridge. In 2002 they built an Observation Building with a story of the building and history of the bridge and the ferries prior to the bridge. It was a great photo opportunity to capture the bridge.

We were home by 6:15. We walked down to the office to get some of Tom and Shirley's 'Walking Tacos' (Nacho chips, cheese, taco meat and jalapenos) We must be back in Texas! Nancy, the campground owner, shared a delicious Peanut Butter dessert with us. We met Butch and Debbie, the other workcamping couple who live across the road. They're golfers too and gave us the scoop on their favorite courses in the area. We hope to get to play together before we leave. We brought the laptop with us so I got mail and uploaded my journal pages using the wireless. Bob looked up Cheboygan Country Club then we headed back home to read the paper outside. We came in around 8:00 to watch two West Wing rerun episodes.