The Famous Mighty Mack Is Mindblowing For Many Reasons

Michigan is known for many amazing things like the auto industry, the Great Lakes and the Mackinac Bridge. The true visual representation of the mitten is the Mighty Mac. The Mackinac Bridge reperesents the hard work and resilience of Michigan.

I have driven across the bridge many times and it never ceases to amaze me that this mammoth suspension bridge is safe to drive on and it was made by man. The Mackinac Bridge brought the Upper Penninsula and Lower Penninsula together and formed the state as we know it today.

There will be a lot of people traveling this summer over the bridge. I hope to make it to the U.P. before the end of summer. Can you imagine what it would be like trying to get to the U.P. without the bridge? You'd have to go around the south end of Lake Michigan and drive through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin to get to your destination. No thanks.

Facts About The Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge Is Long

Total Length Of Bridge - 5 miles, 26,372 feet.

Length Of Suspension Bridge (that part with the cables) - 19,243 feet.

Length Of Bridge Between Main Towers - 3,800 feet.

The Mackinac Bridge Is Tall

Height of Main Towers Above Water - 552 feet.

Height Of Roadway Above Water At Midspan - 199 feet.

Maximum Depth Of Water At Midspan - 295 feet.

Maximum Depth Of Tower Piers Below Water - 210 feet.

Underclearance For Ships At Midspan - 155 feet.

That Bridge Is Suspended By Cables!

Total Length Of Wire In Main Cables - 42,000 miles.

Max Tension In Each Cable - 16,000 tons.

Number Of Wires In Each Cable - 12,580

Weight Of Cables - 11,840 tons.

Diameter Of Main Cables - 24 1/2 inches.

How Much Does The Bridge Weigh?

Weight Of Bridge - 1,024,500 tons.

Weight Of Concrete - 931,000 tons.

Weight Of Substructure - 919,100 tons.

Weight Of Two Anchorages - 360,380 tons.

Weight Of Steel In Each Main Tower - 6,500 tons.

It's Held Together By Rivots And Bolts

Total Steel Rivets - 4,851,700

Total Steel Bolts - 1,016,600

Manpower Made It Happen

Employed At Bridge Site - 3,500

Employed at Quarries, Shops, Mills etc. - 7,500

Total Engineers - 350

Cool Facts About The Millions That Cross The Mac

The work on the bridge started on May 7, 1954 and the bridge was opened to traffic on November 1, 1957. The formal dedication took place June 25-28, 1958. A lot of people travel across the bridge and on September 25, 2984 the 50 millionth crossing took place. The Mack will be 66 years old this November. The 100 millionth crossing took place on June 25, 1998. That's nuts that it took place on the 40th anniversary of the dedication.