Editing Mackinac Bridge (section)

==Facts and figures==
[[File:Mackinac Bridge.jpg|right|thumb|The Mackinac Bridge from the south shore]]
[[File:Mackinac Bridge at Night August 2011.jpg|right|thumb|The Mackinac Bridge at night]]
[[File:Freighter passing under Macinac Bridge.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lake freighter|Freighter]] passing under the bridge, from [[Straits State Park]]]]

The Mackinac Bridge is a [[toll bridge]] on [[Interstate 75 in Michigan|Interstate&nbsp;75]] (I-75). The [[U.S. Route 27 in Michigan|US Highway&nbsp;27]] (US&nbsp;27) designation was initially extended across the bridge.<ref name="MSHD58">{{cite MDOT map |year=1958 |section=D10}}</ref> In November 1960, sections of I-75 freeway opened from Indian River north to the southern bridge approaches in Mackinaw City,<ref name=blade1960>{{cite news |title = Michigan to Open 35 More Miles of Freeway |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2rlOAAAAIBAJ&pg=2713,1527983&dq=michigan+open+%7C+construction+interstate-75&hl=en |newspaper = [[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|The Blade]] |location = Toledo |agency = [[Associated Press]] |date = November 8, 1960 |page = 19 |access-date = March 22, 2013 |via = [[Google News]] }}</ref> and US&nbsp;27 was removed from the bridge.<ref name=MSHD61>{{cite MDOT map |year=1961 |section=F10 }}</ref> It is one of only three segments of I-75 that are tolled, the others being the American half of the [[Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge|International Bridge]] near [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]], and [[Alligator Alley]] in [[Interstate 75 in Florida|Florida]]. The current toll is $4.00 for automobiles and $5.00 per axle for trucks. The Mackinac Bridge Authority raised the toll in 2007 to fund a $300&nbsp;million renovation program, which would include completely replacing the bridge deck.<ref name="wzzm-tolls">{{cite news |url = http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=83364 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130217021136/http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=83364 |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 17, 2013 |title = Mackinac Bridge Authority Proposes Raising Tolls to Pay for Renovations |work = WZZM News |location = Walker, Michigan |publisher = [[WZZM-TV]] |date = November 7, 2007 |access-date = January 5, 2013 }}</ref>

Painting of the bridge takes seven years,<ref>{{cite web |date=December 2, 2007 |title=The Mackinac Bridge Painting Project |url=http://www.poweredbythepeople.com/painters/Michigan/Painter_Mackinaw_City.html |publisher=Michigan Painting Group}}{{Failed verification|date=April 2025}}</ref> and when painting of the bridge is complete, it begins again. The current painting project began in 1999 and was expected to take 20 years to complete because the lead-based paint needs to be removed, incurring additional disposal requirements.<ref>{{cite news |first = Brandon |last = Champion |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2017/03/mackinac_bridges_north_tower_t.html |title = The Mackinac Bridge Painting Project |newspaper = [[The Grand Rapids Press]] |date = March 30, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first = Robb |last = Westaby |url = http://fox17online.com/2013/08/05/why-painting-the-mackinac-bridge-is-taking-20-years/ |title = Why Painting The Mackinac Bridge Is Taking 20 Years |work = Fox17 Online |location = Grand Rapids, Michigan |publisher = [[WXMI-TV]] |date = August 5, 2013 }}</ref>

The bridge celebrated its 150 millionth vehicle crossing on September 6, 2009.<ref name="mba-pr">{{cite press release |url = http://www.mackinacbridge.org/index.php?action=archived&artid=192 |title = 150 Millionth Vehicle Crosses Mackinac Bridge |date = September 7, 2009 |publisher = Mackinac Bridge Authority |access-date = March 19, 2010 }}</ref>

* Length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier: {{convert|7400|ft|m|0}}.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Total width of the roadway: {{convert|54|ft|m|1}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Two outside lanes: {{convert|12|ft|m|1}} wide each<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Two inside lanes: {{convert|11|ft|m|1}} wide each<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Center mall: {{convert|2|ft|m|2}}
** Catwalk, curb and rail width: {{convert|3|ft|m|2}} on each side
* Width of stiffening truss in the suspended span: {{convert|68|ft|m|1}}.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Depth of stiffening truss: {{convert|38.1|ft}}<ref name=structurae /><ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Height of the roadway at mid-span: approximately {{convert|200|ft|m|0}} above water level.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Vertical clearance at normal temperature:
** {{convert|155|ft|m|0}} at the center of the main suspension span.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** {{convert|135|ft|m|0}} at the boundaries of the {{convert|3000|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide|sigfig=3}} navigation channel.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Construction cost: $99.8&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|99800000|1957|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}})<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Height of towers above water: {{convert|552|ft|m|0}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Max. depth of towers below water: {{convert|210|ft|m|0}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Depth of water beneath the center of the bridge, {{convert|250|ft|m}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Main cables:
** Number of wires in each cable: 12,580<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Diameter of each wire: {{convert|0.196|in|cm|3}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Diameter of each cable: {{convert|24.5|in|cm|2}}<ref name="mbafacts"/>
** Total length of wire in main cables: {{convert|42000|mi|km}}.<ref name="mbafacts"/>
* Total vehicle crossings, 2005: 4,236,491 (average 11,608 per day)
* Speed limit: {{convert|45|mph|km/h}} for passenger cars, {{convert|20|mph|km/h}} for heavy trucks. Heavy trucks are also required to leave a {{convert|500|ft|m|adj=on}} spacing ahead.

===Work and major accident fatalities===

Five workers died during the construction of the bridge:<ref name="mba-imo">{{cite web |author = Mackinac Bridge Authority |date = n.d. |url = http://www.mackinacbridge.org/in-memory-of-45/ |title = In Memory of |publisher = Mackinac Bridge Authority |access-date = January 30, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070912171929/http://www.mackinacbridge.org/in-memory-of-45/ |archive-date = September 12, 2007 }}</ref>
* Diver Frank Pepper ascended too quickly from a depth of {{convert|140|ft|m}} on September 16, 1954. Despite being rushed to a [[decompression chamber]], the 46-year-old died from the [[Decompression sickness|bends]].<ref>* {{cite book |last = Rubin |first = Lawrence A. |year = 1985 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LEh9TGZ7GToC&pg=PA77 |title = Bridging the Straits |location = Detroit |publisher = Wayne State University Press |isbn = 978-0-8143-1812-6 |pages = 135–136 }}</ref>
* 26-year-old James LeSarge lost his balance on October 10, 1954, and fell into a [[caisson (engineering)|caisson]]. He fell {{convert|40|ft|m}} and likely died of head injuries caused by impact with the criss-crossing steel beams inside the caisson.<ref name="Rubin 1985 136">{{harvp|Rubin|1985|p=136}}.</ref>
* Albert Abbott died on October 25, 1954. The forty-year-old fell {{convert|4|ft|m|spell=in}} into the water while working on an {{convert|18|in|cm|adj=on}} wide beam. Witnesses speculate he suffered a heart attack.<ref name="Rubin 1985 136"/>
* 28-year-old Jack Baker and 28-year-old Robert Koppen died in a catwalk collapse near the north tower on June 6, 1956; it was their first day on the job. Koppen's body was never recovered. Another man suffered a broken ankle.<ref>{{harvp|Rubin|1985|pp=136–138}}.</ref>
All five men are memorialized on a [[Commemorative plaque|plaque]] near the bridge's northern end (Bridge View Park). Contrary to folklore, no bodies are embedded in the concrete.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine = [[Michigan History (magazine)|Michigan History]] |title = Michigan History |date = July–August 2007 }}</ref><ref name="mba-faq">{{cite web |author = Mackinac Bridge Authority |date = n.d. |title = Frequently Asked Questions |publisher = Mackinac Bridge Authority |url = https://www.mackinacbridge.org/history/in-memory-of/ |access-date = September 23, 2011 }}</ref>

One worker has died since the bridge was completed. Daniel Doyle fell {{convert|60|to|70|ft|m}} from scaffolding on August 7, 1997. He survived the fall but fell victim to the {{convert|50|°F|°C}} water temperature. His body was recovered the next day in {{convert|95|ft|m}} of water.

Two vehicles have fallen off the bridge:
* On September 22, 1989, Leslie Ann Pluhar died when her car, a 1987 Yugo, plunged over the {{convert|36|in|cm|adj=mid|-high}} railing. High winds were initially blamed,<ref name="zacharias">{{cite news |last = Zacharias |first = Pat |title = The Breathtaking Mackinac Bridge |newspaper = [[The Detroit News]] |date = June 6, 2000 |url = http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=156 |access-date = September 11, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130121103110/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=156 |archive-date = January 21, 2013 }}</ref> which was not supported by recorded wind speed measurements taken on and around the bridge at the time of the accident.<ref>{{cite news |first = Bill |last = McGraw |date = July 8, 2007 |title = Mackinac Bridge Q&A |url = http://www.freep.com/article/20070708/NEWS06/707080577/Mackinac-Bridge-Q-A |newspaper = Detroit Free Press |access-date = January 3, 2014 |archive-date = January 3, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140103183324/http://www.freep.com/article/20070708/NEWS06/707080577/Mackinac-Bridge-Q-A |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Accident Report Claims Ms. Pluhar Was Speeding |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19891108&id=H4YyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3091,639880 |date = November 8, 1989 |newspaper = [[The Argus-Press]] |location = Owosso, Michigan |agency = Associated Press |page = 20 |access-date = January 3, 2014 }}</ref> Later investigation showed the driver lost control due to excessive speed and her vehicle bumped the bridge's 4-inch-high median and then crossed back through the northbound lanes, hitting a curb, jumping an outer guardrail and falling off the bridge,<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.nysun.com/article/3232 |title = How to Build a Better Bridge |access-date = October 26, 2007 |first = David |last = Propson |date = October 14, 2004 |newspaper = [[New York Sun]] |archive-date = November 14, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071114172349/http://www.nysun.com/article/3232 |url-status = dead }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2024}} 
* On March 2, 1997, Richard Alan Daraban drove his car, a 1996 Ford Bronco, over the edge. It was later determined to be a suicide.<ref name="daraban">{{cite court |litigants = Daraban v. State of Michigan, et al. |opinion = 223659 |court = State of Michigan Court of Appeals |date = March 15, 2002 |url = http://publicdocs.courts.mi.gov:81/opinions/final/coa/20020305_c223659(43)_223659.opn.pdf }}</ref>

On September 10, 1978, a small private plane carrying [[United States Marine Corps Reserve]] officers Maj. Virgil Osborne, Capt. James Robbins, and Capt. Wayne W. Wisbrock smashed into one of the bridge's suspension cables while flying in a heavy fog. The impact tore the wings off the plane, which then plunged into the Straits of Mackinac. All three men were killed.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19780912&id=kWwiAAAAIBAJ&pg=5761,809952 |title = Reserve Officers Died In Mackinac Bridge Crash |newspaper = The Argus-Press |location = Owosso, Michigan |agency = Associated Press |date = September 12, 1978 |access-date = January 5, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Rubin|1985|pp=158–159}}.</ref>

With the exception of the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day, the bridge is not accessible to pedestrians. As a result, [[Suicide bridge|suicides by jumping from the bridge]] have been rare, with the most recent confirmed case taking place on December 31, 2012. No jumps have occurred during the annual bridge walks.<ref>{{cite news |first = Zac |last = Britton |date = January 2, 2013 |url = http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2013-01-02/mackinac-bridge_36117474 |title = Investigation Remains Open Following Mackinac Bridge Jump |newspaper = [[Petoskey News-Review]] |access-date = January 5, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130105021444/http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2013-01-02/mackinac-bridge_36117474 |archive-date = January 5, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> There have been roughly a dozen suicides by people jumping off the bridge {{asof|2013|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/michigan_state_police_investig_1.html |title = Michigan State Police Investigating Possible New Year's Eve suicide on the Mackinac Bridge |first = Garret |last = Ellison |date = January 1, 2013 |newspaper = Grand Rapids Press |access-date = March 28, 2024 }}</ref>

===Crossing the bridge===
Some individuals have difficulty crossing bridges, a phenomenon known as [[gephyrophobia]]. The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a Drivers Assistance Program that provides drivers for those with gephyrophobia, or anyone who is more comfortable having someone else drive them across. More than a thousand people use this service every year. Those interested can arrange, either by phone or with the toll collector, to have their cars or motorcycles driven to the other end. There is an additional fee for this service.

Bicycles and pedestrians are not permitted on the bridge. However, A program is offered to transport bicycles.<ref name="mba-bike">{{cite web |url = https://www.mackinacbridge.org/ufaqs/can-bicycle-group-get-across-mackinac-bridge/ |title = How can my bicycle group get across the Mackinac Bridge? |publisher = Mackinac Bridge Authority |date = October 24, 2016 |access-date = May 24, 2024 }}</ref> Up until 2017, an exception was allowed for riders of two annual bicycle tours.<ref name="mba-cancel">{{cite press release |url = https://www.mackinacbridge.org/2018-annual-bridge-walk-will-start-st-ignace-mackinaw-city-safety-convenience-2/#exit-off-canvas |title = 2018 Annual Bridge Walk will start in both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City for safety, convenience |publisher = Mackinac Bridge Authority |date = February 20, 2018 |access-date = March 28, 2024 }}</ref> A yearly exception is also made for pedestrians, see "Bridge Walk" below.

Travelers across the Mackinac Bridge can listen to an AM radio broadcast that recounts the history of the bridge and provides updates on driving conditions.<ref name="michiguide">{{cite web |url = http://www.michiguide.com/dials/amtis/wnhc787.html |title = WNHC787 AM 530 St. Ignace / AM 1610 Mackinaw City |website = Michiguide.com |access-date = September 20, 2008 |archive-date = August 28, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130828183606/http://www.michiguide.com/dials/amtis/wnhc787.html |url-status = dead }}</ref>