Did you know the Mackinaw Bridge is 50 years old today?

The Grand Rapids Press had a very nice article in today's Sunday paper.  It was worth the read to see the history of the bridge.  I did not know many of the facts concerning the bridge.  I was 10 years old when the bridge was completed and remember the big stir it caused at the time.

I remembered the Yugo being blown off the bridge during a high wind event.  I was shocked at the time that a car, even a Yugo could be blown off the bridge.  I also remember the worker painting the bridge in 1997 falling to his death.  I did not know it was 60 feet.  I thought it was higher for some reason but the result was the same. 

I did not remember the toll was $2.50 to cross the bridge....but that is each way...so $5.00 is the real toll and it is better than swimming.  Today 50 swimmers swam the straights to celebrate....I have been in that water....it is COLD! The current is pretty strong at times under the bridge too.  I have sailed the Chicago to Mackinaw sailboat race a few times and seen the bridge from underneath.  It is truly a massive structure.

The other fact I did not know was that I-75 only has tolls in two places....the Mackinaw bridge being one of them...the other is in Florida.

So happy birthday to the bridge....just think on busy days when the cars used to be ferried back and forth the fleet of ferries would carry 9000 cars in a day.  That is an unbelievable number.