Mackinac Bridge : Ask Biography

Bridge information

Other names

Mighty Mac or Big Mac

Carries

4 lanes of

Crosses

Straits of Mackinac

Locale

Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan

Maintained by

Mackinac Bridge Authority

Design

Suspension bridge

Total length

26372 ft (8038.2 m)

Width

68.6 ft (20.9 m) (total width)
54 ft (16.5 m) (road width)
38.1 ft (11.6 m) (depth)

Height

552 ft (168.2 m)

Longest span

3800 ft (1158.2 m)

Vertical clearance

200 ft (61 m)

Clearance below

155 ft (47.2 m)

Opened

November 1, 1957

Toll

$1.75 per axle for passenger vehicles ($3.50 per car). $3.50 per axle for motor homes. $4.50 per axle for commercial vehicles.

Daily traffic

11600

Home | Bridge | Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge ( , ), is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Envisioned since the 1880s, the bridge was completed in 1957 only after many decades of struggles to begin construction. Designed by engineer David B. Steinman, the bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") connects the city of St. Ignace on the north end with the village of Mackinaw City on the south. It is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere. The Mackinac Bridge carries Interstate 75 across the straits.