The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. It is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere and the world’s second-longest suspension bridge in total length.
Construction on the bridge began in 1957 and was completed in November 1957. The first car crossed the bridge on November 1, 1957, and it opened to traffic on November 15, 1957. The Mackinac Bridge Authority owns and operates the structure. In addition to vehicular traffic, it carries pedestrian traffic and bicycles between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.
The Mackinac Bridge is also a major tourist attraction because of its unique architecture and convenient location. The bridge has become an icon of Michigan’s statehood and has been used in promotional materials for tourism campaigns since its opening.
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The five-mile-long structure spans the Straits of Mackinac and carries vehicular traffic on US Highway 2, which connects US-131 in southern Michigan with I-75 in northern Michigan.
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge that was built in 1957. It has a span of 5 miles and connects the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The cost of building this bridge was $80 million dollars, which was quite pricey at that time. The money needed for construction came from tolls collected on both sides of the Mackinac Bridge. This is how they were able to afford its construction so quickly and cheaply.
Five years later, the State of Michigan decided to move forward with the construction of this monumental bridge.
In 1942, the State of Michigan decided to move forward with the construction of this monumental bridge. At that time, there was no government agency charged with building and maintaining bridges. However, there were numerous private-sector companies that constructed and maintained bridges across the country.
Passing an act through the legislature allowed for a single entity to be responsible for all aspects of bridge infrastructure within our state. This new agency would be called “The Mackinac Bridge Authority” or simply “The Authority”.
An engineering proposal was accepted by the State of Michigan and the State of Wisconsin which opened up a bidding process for contractors.
On November 16, 1954, the winning bid was announced. The contract was awarded to American Bridge Company which had submitted a low bid of $49 million USD (approximately $430 million in 2018 USD).
The winning bid was submitted by an American Bridge Company.
Of the total cost of $60 million, the winning bid was submitted by an American Bridge Company.
The bridge was designed by a team of structural engineers and architects, including Leon Moisseiff, who was also the designer of the famous Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is 1.5 miles long and has two main towers that rise above the water line at 350 feet tall.
The cost to build the Mackinac Bridge was estimated at over $100 million.
The cost to build the Mackinac Bridge was estimated at over $100 million.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority was formed in 1955 and construction began on June 1, 1957.
It required the use of 15,000 tons of steel and over 500 million pounds of concrete.
Construction of the bridge required the use of 15,000 tons of steel and over 500 million pounds of concrete. It also used over 250,000 cubic yards of granite.
It used a variety of materials to create the structure:
- Steel was used for the main cables, anchor rods, suspenders, and roadway support system. The cables were made up of 36 strands each made up of 725 individual wires that became more than 1 mile long when assembled together into one cable. The suspenders which connect each side span section together were fabricated from high-strength alloy steel and bolted together at each joint allowing for easy maintenance in case any repairs needed to be done later on down the road.
- Concrete was used for foundations on both sides as well as forming piers at either end where it connects to land bases.
With that much money involved and such a large project, it was obvious that a fundraising campaign would be necessary to get the construction going.
Additionally, the roadways leading to each end of the bridge had to be widened and lengthened. This included building an extra interchange in Mackinaw City at M-119 and a new access road at St. Ignace.
In order for construction to begin on the bridge itself, funds had to be raised for preliminary studies, engineering work, and construction costs. State officials estimated this would take about $3 million dollars; however that didn’t include any plans for toll booths or other expenses required by law before any work could begin. With that much money involved and such a large project expected by residents of both islands as well as tourists who were eager to see where their vacation dollars were going, it was obvious that a fundraising campaign would be necessary to get the construction going (and keep it going).
As a result, a non-profit corporation was formed in June 1950 called The Mackinac Bridge Authority.
In June 1950, the Michigan state legislature passed the Mackinac Bridge Authority Act. This act established a non-profit corporation to build and maintain the bridge. The corporation was given powers to issue bonds and receive funding from both federal and state governments. In addition, it could also charge tolls on traffic crossing over the bridge as an additional source of revenue.
This organization was responsible for raising money by selling bonds to investors who would receive interest payments over time.
The construction of the Mackinac Bridge was financed by the Michigan State Legislature, but this organization was responsible for raising money by selling bonds to investors who would receive interest payments over time.
This organization raised over $27 million in bonds from all over the United States. The money paid for building materials and equipment, as well as salaries for workers on site.
A $99 million bond issue raised $2.5 million in interest annually as well as tolls collected from those crossing the bridge.
A $99 million bond issue raised $2.5 million in interest annually as well as tolls collected from those crossing the bridge. The rest of the money came from federal grants, bonds sold to private investors, and revenue generated by the toll booths.
That amount is much less than what it would cost to maintain and upgrade a ferry service over several decades which makes it a better financial decision to build the bridge initially.
The Mackinac Bridge cost to build was $7.25 million, a very large amount of money at the time. In today’s dollars, that amount is much less than what it would cost to maintain and upgrade a ferry service over several decades which makes it a better financial decision to build the bridge initially.
In today’s dollars, that’s about $1 billion and change
- The Mackinac Bridge would have cost less than half of what it did if it were designed today
- The Mackinac Bridge is one of the most expensive bridges ever built in the United States. The construction costs for the bridge were over $300 million at the time it was built in 1957, which would be over $2 billion in today’s dollars.
$99,800,000 (1957 USD) eventually paid for by the state of Michigan
The Mackinac Bridge cost $99.8 million (1957 USD) to build. It was originally supposed to be built with a toll of $1 per car, but the state of Michigan eventually bought the bridge and removed all tolls from it.
The Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long and 20,000 feet across the straights of Mackinac. It has a four-foot cement walk and a six-foot metal walk for pedestrians.
- The Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long and 20,000 feet across the straights of Mackinac. It has a four-foot cement walk and a six-foot metal walk for pedestrians.
- The bridge was built in 1953, so it’s been around for over 60 years.
The cost to build this bridge was $80 million dollars (which works out to be about $721 million today).
The original cost of building the bridge was more than 99 million dollars.
The original cost of building the bridge was more than 99 million dollars. The length of Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long and it’s supported by two towers that are 525 feet high, making them the second tallest man-made structures in Michigan.
The bridge was built by a company called Joseph Bower Company and it took them only 7 months to complete. Work started on June 1st, 1954, and ended on November 18th, 1954 when traffic began crossing over from St Ignace Michigan to Mackinaw City Michigan.
The Mackinac Bridge of Michigan is a five-mile-long suspension bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Huron.
The Mackinac Bridge of Michigan is a five-mile-long suspension bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Huron. It carries automobile traffic between the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan and is owned by the state.
The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957, and was a milestone in transportation engineering. The construction cost of $80 million was paid off in four years instead of 30 years due to toll revenues from over 8 million vehicles per year (1958). The toll was $0.10 for cars or motorcycles, $0.15 for buses/limousines, and $0.20 for trucks until 2005 when it was lowered to $4 roundtrip for all vehicles except heavy trucks which pay $7 per axle ($10 round trip). The bridge is currently operated by MDOT via its subsidiary Blueway Transportation Authority (BTA), which also manages other structures such as Mackinac Island Ferry Service Company (MIFSC).
The bridge is currently one of the longest suspension bridges in the world and is the second longest in the United States.
The Mackinac Bridge is currently one of the longest suspension bridges in the world and is the second longest in the United States. The bridge was designed to accommodate heavy traffic loads on a daily basis, as well as during large events such as car races, marathons, and bike races.
This engineering marvel was completed in 1957 and dedicated by President Dwight D.
This engineering marvel was completed in 1957 and dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959. The Mackinac Bridge is designed to withstand winds of 200 mph and can accommodate ships with drafts up to 95 feet deep. It is one of only a few suspension bridges that have been successfully built over salt water.
The first span of the Mackinac Bridge was opened to traffic on November 1st, 1957 at a cost of $100 million (this figure includes both spans).
Eisenhower two years later on June 28, 1959.
The bridge’s construction, on the other hand, took much longer than expected. The original projected completion date was November 1st, 1960, and was immediately pushed back to December 1960 due to delays in steel delivery and changes to the design of the towers. However, even this revised completion date proved optimistic as further delays were encountered in raising funds from bond sales and in getting permits from federal agencies involved in land acquisition for approaches and approaches. In fact, it wasn’t until December 31st, 1961 that work began on site with formal groundbreaking ceremonies held at each end of the bridge (Michigan City and St Ignace).
The Mackinac Bridge Authority spent $429 million dollars building its first span across Lake Michigan between 1959-1962 – an equivalent cost today would be approximately 2 billion dollars. This is almost twice as much as what was spent on building New York City’s George Washington Bridge during this same time period ($161 million) which had a more challenging topography but fewer lanes (six compared with eight) than Mackinac Island Bridge.”
It now carries 13,000 vehicles daily and stands as an incredible feat of human engineering.
The Mackinac Bridge was built in 1957 and stands as an incredible feat of human engineering. It now carries 13,000 vehicles daily and stands as an incredible feat of human engineering.
The Mackinac Bridge cost to build was around $100 million dollars.
The bridge was originally built in 1957 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world for many years. The Mackinac Bridge is still considered to be one of the top ten engineering achievements of all time, even though it’s now been overtaken by several new bridges that have been constructed since its completion.
In the years following its construction, many people did not believe that such a large structure would ever be possible without requiring massive amounts of steel and concrete materials as well as specialized equipment that would make it impossible for any normal person or company to build on their own. However, when you look at how well this bridge has held up over time compared with other similar structures built around this same time period (such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge), it becomes clear why so many people continue thinking about how amazing it must have been seeing this being created back then.
It is an engineering marvel that has stood the test of time and continues to be a symbol of Michigan’s pride in its state. The Mackinac Bridge cost to build was around $100 million dollars which is a significant amount today but paid for by tolls collected over several decades. With all the money involved and such a large project, it was obvious that a fundraising campaign would be necessary to get construction going. As a result, a non-profit corporation was formed in June 1950 called The Mackinac Bridge Authority which sold bonds to investors who would receive interest payments over time (much less than what it would cost ferry service). Today this amount would be about $1 billion and change which makes it much more economical than maintaining two separate routes across Lake Huron or building another bridge entirely.
