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Fun fact. My grandma walk on the bridge when it first opened. We even have a photo of her there. Not only that my mother grew up in cheboygan, about 10 minute drive from the bridge to the east of mackinaw city
I think it's impressive that he got Mackinac correct, but messed up St. Ignace. Total opposite of what I would expect. Hopefully he does some videos on other places in the Yoop someday.
I remember, as a kid, staying at the Budget Host Inn several times after a long trek across the U.P. from Ironwood to St. Ignace, slightly dreading the crossing into the Lower Peninsula the following day. You hear the vibrations of the car riding on top of the steel grating in the passing lane, unnerving in that you can see through to the bottom of the Straits, but necessary so that the pressure difference from the constantly blowing winds don't damage the superstructure of the bridge. It's 5-10 minutes of white-knuckling for any first-time crossers, especially in the winter. But nothing looks more spectacular than seeing the sun shine through the blue-green shoals along the shore as you cross during the summer.
My home state! Driven over the span countless times. Always fun driving it in poor weather conditions. If you ever get to Mackinaw City there’s a pizza shop / Mackinaw Bridge history museum called Mama Mia’s Pizza. Good pizza and a good bit of history.
@Joshua Stanard - I’m not a fan of going across it driving that grate. 😉 I’ve been on the MM when the water was hitting on the road itself as you enter St Ignace. That was not enjoyable.
Thank you for this episode! My Grandfather worked on the Mighty Mac from beginning to end!!! It is one of the most amazing Bridges in the world! Thank you again
I've been across the Mackinac Bridge more times than I can count over the last 50 years and it never fails to impress. One thing I never really thought about until someone from San Francisco saw it and pointed it out is that it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. A huge bridge like this is usually used to connect two urban areas, or at least one to someplace else. Anybody's who's been there knows calling Mackinaw City or St. Ignace an "urban area" is stretching the English language to its breaking point. It can be intimidating to drive, with relatively narrow lanes, low railing and open grating on the inboard lanes, and it's hard not to think of Leslie Ann Pluhar every time I cross. One thing Simon didn't mention is that it is *always* being painted. Seeing workers walking along the cables or up on the towers always makes me glad that's not my job.
@@donnalynn2 I think the bit that triggered my thought was the word "done". Repeating once you're done and "aways painting" describe the same thing, but in my mind the "done" sort of connotes a period, however brief, of cessation. That's not necessarily the case. Thank you for the correction.
I've driven an eighteen wheel semi over it. Gets even more scenic when you're ten feet off the deck. I also walked it on Labor Day three times and stood guard with the National Guard twice and worked three summers on Mackinac Island. My dad actually worked the ferries before the bridge too. So I'm pretty familiar with the Mighty Mac
As someone who was born just under the bridge, I'm very excited you're finally doing a Megaprojects on it :) Also, michilimackinac is easy if you break it down, the first half of the word makes the same sound as Michigan, the rest is just Mackinac -- also yes, Mackinaw Island was considered the great turtle
When the night lights shine from the Bridge onto the straits, the milky way blankets the sky, the northern lights dance overhead it's beauty is unmatched in my opinion. I have to have someone drive me across, but the crossing is worth it.
This bridge is majestic. The setting is superb. The actual design of the bridge is superb. The history of the area is superb. It is the melding of all these that makes this bridge such a stand out. There is nothing to obstruct the view. It is a photographers dream. It must be viewed to be truly appreciated,
EPA would never approve a bridge there today because of all the dredging they did to reach solid rock for the caissons. 5/6 of bridge is actually below water level.
One thing you overlooked, the bridge is two lanes in each direction and the inner lane in each direction is not paved it is a metal grate, a grate you can see clear down to the water through. This grate is disturbing to some drivers and occasionally causes people to panic and freak out and not be able to complete the drive across so the bridge has employees who will come out and finish driving you across if that happens. If you know this is going to be a problem you can actually ask to have them drive you and your car across for you at no extra charge.
My dad, big, tough ex-Marine he was, was scared shittless on the Macinac Bridge. We all liked seeing that LOL He hated the grates and the low pipe on the edge of the road. "How the hell is that supposed to keep you from going over?" Still one of the great marine views in all my travels. Nothing on Earth like the Great Lakes.
@@brianmartindale2221 lol You just never know what will get some people. I've only had the pleasure of driving across once and it was overcast/foggy and I could only see about 100ft in front of me so I missed the best views. I've got to get back on a nice day!
I'm from the U.P. of course been on the bridge but didn't know they have people who will help with that. Cool. Some people have a legit phobia, and sometimes you just don't know until it happens. Good idea and that's really nice if it's free. I like that.
@Maria Abramson it's a safety thing. Stopping midway in a panic can cause an accident, as does trying to get someone in a panic to take hands off steering wheel to unlock door. I've heard they have to pry their hands off steering wheel. So yeah, it's a safety service.
We had gone to Sault Ste Marie this past Saturday (4-30-2022) and a woman working at a store we went to told us how she remembered coming up from GR at 7 years old to go to the UP via the ferry. At that time they were just beginning to build the pylons for the Bridge itself...what an interesting and eare story to hear!
My first trip across the Mighty MAC was in 1964 when I was 4 years old on a family vacation. As a born and raised Michigander I can’t count the trips since then! Thanks for the recognition as a Megaproject.
Born and raised in Michigan(sadly I no longer live there, but) I hope to retire there...and someday, I plan on WALKING the Big Mac....GO MICHIGAN!!!!!!
I went across this bridge when I was little for a family reunion. Also took the ferry to Mackinaw island. I will never forget looking down and seeing a massive cargo ship pass underneath. It seemed like it was miles below me every time I remember it. And everytime it returns in my nightmares that distance grows.
I remember my family and I crossed it in 1960 when I was 4. It was awesome and I will NEVER forget it!!!!! I remember there was an old french fort that they were just digging up on the other side.
I go across this bridge at least 6 times a year. I love it! Freaks some of my friends out though, so I drive across the metal grating to add to their freakout. It's such a beautiful bridge. This bridge does not get enough attention.
My Grandfather, Claude J. Worked on the bridge, and contrary yo published reports, he watched a msn fall into one of the concrete piers during construction and pouring continued unabated. He said they could not stop the pour once started and he was underneath the liquid concrete anyway and could not have been rescued. I've been across the bridge s hundred times in my 63 years and never cease to marvel at its majesty. Thank you for covering this marvel of engineering.
Despite the claims, there's never been any evidence that something like that happening. Most large bridges have at least one story like that, the Zilwaukee Bridge (a 1.5 mile 8 lane bridge on I75 in Midmichigan) has at least two claims and no evidence. A person's body in the concrete would eventually decompose creating a massive cavity/ weak spot in the concrete. Either they got the body out our your grandfather didn't see what he thought he saw.
@@caodesignworks2407 I cant say. All I know is what he said over the course of my lifetime, I must have heard him tell that story a dozen times. I never knew him to tell a lie throughout my lifetime. He's been gone since 1981, so I have no way of going back and asking him, sir.
@@stephenstevens6573 Having just lost my mother, that feeling of not being able to go back and get clarity or just a different perspective feels so odd.
You should do one on the SS badger. It’s a ferry that takes cars and people across 62 miles of Lake Michigan. It’s been in service since the 1950s, It is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016.
I used the Badger a few years ago to cross Lake Michigan (I live in northeast Wisconsin; Dad lives in Lansing Michigan) on a night run. What fun! When they say "Great Lakes" they aren't kidding. Takes the ferry 4 hours to cross the lake, and halfway across you can't even see land, only distant communication tower lights. Too bad it was getting cloudy because the sky was very dark and there were a million stars.
Finally... The Original MegaProject.... Covered on MegaProjects.... I rode my motorcycle across that thing once.... ONCE. I will say, it is disorienting, or strange, or confusing... You're driving, in the middle of nowhere, through heavy woods.... As you approach the town, you see the huge tall spires of the bridge, reaching skyward.... totally out of scale with your forested surroundings... It's like, where am I?????
Simon thank you for this Mega Projects!! I guess you do take suggestions from your viewers!! Got another Mega Projects recommendation!! Another Michigan marvel that is important for commerce world wide. The Soo Locks. The shipping locks that allow passage from Lake Superior to the lower lakes & through the Saint Lawrence Sea Way. Thank you again & keep up all the great work you and your team put out on all your channels.
I'm a little surprised you didn't do this bridge sooner. I used to live about a hour (or 50 miles) away. I've been over the Mac about a dozen times or more. I spent my honeymoon in Mackinac City. We call all the tourists "fudgies" up there. It's a very beautiful place, but you wouldn't want to live there year round. Most of the jobs are seasonal, (Memorial day to Labor Day). Most of those jobs are filled by foreign immigrant, labor. Mostly Jamaicans and Mexicans who leave as soon as the seasons over. The snow is measured in feet or meters for you Brits. If your house doesn't have trees around it, the blowing snow will pile up so the only way out is through the second story window. They plow snow with construction equipment. There's always several Blizzards every year. You can always tell who the tourists are. Because their the ones in a ditch at the side of the road in the winter. Blowing snow causes what's called "white outs" when you can't see anything out of you windshield. Some people cause accidents when they slam on their brakes. Michigan is a No Fault state. So if you get into a car accident don't bother calling the police. As anyone can crash into anyone else and not be held accountable. There is no car inspection ether, so if it runs, you can drive it. Even if it's heavily damaged. Every year there's a big Hot rod car show at St Ignis. Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs did a episode on the Mac too where he helped paint it. Thanks.
Years ago, I was doing the tourist thing in Mackinac City, a bit early in the season. I got in line behind a bunch of locals at the Dairy Queen. Had to laugh when I heard one say that it was good to have such short lines before the "fudgies" arrived.
Simon, another great Michigan Megaprojects would be the Standards Rock lighthouse, one of the ten most challenging engineering projects in the USA and "The Loneliest Place in the World"
My ABSOLUTE favorite thing is crossing with my 20ft snowmobile stuffed trailer on a -5 day with high wind warnings! Gets the old heart pumping! Love the Mac and the U.P! As a life long Michigander I take great pride in our states modern marvel. Thanks for making the video. Come cross the bridge and enjoy our state!
Can you do the history of The Thunderbirds? The airshow, not the TV show. Their history is decades long, tragic, and they've entertained millions. Thank you from the YF-23 guy, and Nellis AFB, home of The Thunderbirds!! I grew up watching them practice. Thank you...
Bucket list. I’ve been a truck driver since 1998. I have yet to cross this bridge. I’m now dedicated in Minnesota, so I doubt I’ll be going up into the UP anytime soon.
What really makes this bridge unique compared to the Golden Gate, Bay, Brooklyn bridges is those are all joining together two sides of a major US city with millions of people. The Mackinac Bridge connects a rural area to an even ruraler area. Is ruraler a word? It is now! The U.P. has (had) lots of copper mining and timber, but those things are much cheaper and easier to send by water through that great network of navigable waterways we have than to build costly roads through dense forest. Even if the bridge had always been there, it'd still be cheaper to ship this stuff by water than land. This bridge was pretty much just to get Michigan residents from one side to the other because Michigan really likes its U.P.
I was born in Marquette, Michigan in November 1956. Shortly afterwards my father took a job in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Sometime before February 1958 when my brother was born in Kalamazoo, he sent for my mother and me. Since my mother was pregnant at the time with my brother, the doctors told her "no long car trips" and so we flew from Iron Mountain to Kalamazoo to meet my father. So I missed out on taking the ferry across the Straits. I'm not sure what happened to them but at one time we did have home videos of the Mackinac Bridge under construction. Needless to say, Big Mac has played a large part in my life. The most memorable being the crossing sometime around November 1965 when my brother and I were riding in our Frankin Camper and the toll operator told my father (who did NOT tell him that his two children were riding in the camper in the back) that there was a 55 mph gale on the Bridge and that he should not go over 10 mph and when he got to the anchorages and the towers to stop. Well we started out heading southbound and that wind picked up the camper and made it lean at least a foot higher on the right-hand side and it stayed that way until we got to the first anchorage and Dad stopped and it rocked and rocked and rocked and when it finally stopped rocking Dad started out again and this was the way things were all the way across the Bridge. Normally my brother and I rode in the overcab but this time we were in the kitchenette area and we were SO SCARED we didn't make a peep and I don't know about him but I was too scared to pray. I still remember how cold it was, how the wind blew out the pilot light on the furnace on the sheltered side of the camper, and seeing the cold gray waters below through the cables. It took at least an hour to cross the damn Bridge. Am I afraid to drive on Big Mac? Oh HELL NO! I've seen the worst it can throw at me and I've survived, so driving across is a piece of cake. I've even walked it a couple of times. I've heard people talk about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, well let me tell you, my brother and I rode across that in the overcab of our Franklin Camper back around 1974 after the second span was opened and I didn't have a problem with that, in fact I thought the Chesapeake Bay Bridge pretty cool as it was a lot like flying. I didn't know we were supposed to be scared but as I said I think I have seen the worst Big Mac can throw at me and I survived to tell the tale so these bridges really don't scare me much. I think Big Mac is the MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE IN THE WORLD, although I also have a soft spot for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge if you can't tell.
He even clarified the correct pronounciation of Mackinac. Guess all those comments I made in suggestions for this and the island including that were heard.
Born in California, grew up in Michigan, moved back to California a few years ago and since you dropped this chanel I've wanted to see this one for so long. The songs of the bridge when they were building it were taught to us in primary and this was just a wonderful reminder of my childhood.
Thank you! As a Michigander I am proud of Big Mac. When they replaced the grating of the bridge a few years ago they auctioned off pieces. I am now the very proud owner of several pieces.
My grandpa has told me many stories of before the Mighty Mac. He remembers having to wait hours to board the ferry and he was so happy the first time he got to cross the bridge.
When I first saw the Golden Gate Bridge, I said, "That's it? It's so small." My California hosts were shocked. Driving across the Mackinac Bridge is always a rush. I'm actually too scared to do it, so I make other people. I prefer gawking anyway. She's so beautiful!
I've been over in several times, it's a nightmare to drive over. The wind sucks, people's driving sucks but those two could be hand in hand, my driving sucks on it but the bridge is impressive
I'll be towing snowmobiles across this bridge this weekend. Something that make it unique is the fact that's built in such rural area. Most of its competitors are built in or near big cities.
Fantastic vid as always. The bridge towers are a sight to behold as you drive up to it. Additionally there are ferry tours at sunset under the bridge. #puremichigan
I've crossed the big Mac many many times over my years, and it never gets old.. crossed it for the first time on my motorcycle last year.. love it and mackinaw city.. the U.P. is one beautiful place.. a must do if no one has done a trip up there
did the bridge walk for 5 years in a row!! what an amazing marvel and treasure my state has.. thankyou for sharing this with the world.. there's even a service where bridge authority will drive nervous drivers over the bridge, esp during bad weather.. the middle lane is see through grates. u can see straight down into the water on a sunny day as u drive over, scary for some.
Even though i beleive you may have misspoke the year. I was on the bridge just as the plane that hit the bridges cables. I was 7yrs old.. i remember seeing the wing laying on the deck as we slowly drove past it. i remember it as if it was yesterday.
I am born and raised in upper Michigan. Love to see this episode... The Soo locks are pretty cool projects as well as the ore ships that frequent them.
There is a 10 year project to combine 2 locks into 1 to accommodate the larger vessels passing through the Soo Locks. When it's completed, there will be 3 active locks instead of 2. There is a proposal to name it the Fitzgerald Lock. That would be an interesting subject to cover on this channel.
One of the funniest things I ever saw was at the Soo Locks. Up on the observation deck, I saw one of those little one man sail boats go through the lock. It looked like a rubber duck in a bathtub,.
YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for this. I have a piece of the grating from the road deck on my desk as I type this. I have been across the Mighty Mac more times than I can count, but I never took it for granted. It is awe inspiring.
Love being up there. My first Bridge Walk was in 1981. My final walk was last years 2021. Health problems ended that. I completed the double cross. Will be visiting in June taking my Aunt from Tennessee for her first time.
In the mid 60's my family did a loop of Lake Michigan and crossed the Mighty Mac.... over half a century later I'm living in North Carolina and drive to South Bend, Indiana by way of Sault Ste Marie just because I wanted to go over the bridge again. What an awesome bridge, and it's the only one of the worlds great suspension bridges that connects two rural areas.
Fantastic video Simon! I'm actually a Michigander myself here residing in the Metro Detroit area. I just took a weekend vacation the past year across the Mighty Mac to St. Ignace in the upper peninsula or "U.P." as we call it, took a ferry over to Mackinac Island itself, then stopped in Mackinaw City in the lower peninsula on the way home. Mackinac Island itself is a very interesting place, and I think you would be able to make a great Geographics video on the topic of it!
Grew up in the UP and have been over this bridge probably hundreds of times. It's always nerve-wracking haha. Also, Simon, wtf, how'd you slaughter "St. Ignace" so dramatically?
I grew up in SW lower Michigan so the complete other part of the state but have been to Mackinac Island. Have not had occasion to go over the bridge but keep hoping I will get to take my husband there. I moved to Florida when I became an adult. Maybe it is just my experience, but I personally never saw Mackinac spelled with a W on the end. Maybe it's more prevalent in the UP, not sure. I will say my mom who hated even little bridges refused to go over. My parents were crossing before I was born, and she flatly refused but my dad really wanted to drive across, so she got out and waited for him to go across and come back. LOL I heard you can pay people to drive you across if you are too frightened.
I’m from Royal Oak, Michigan and it’s cool to see someone from the other side of the Atlantic covering the Mackinac bridge. My mom did the bridge walk last summer, she said it was really windy, but really cool.😁
Thank you for this. Grew up in Michigan and would travel to Mackinaw every couple summers growing up. I still remember crossing the bridge and looking out the window down and seeing the straits below and the time tornado's formed off the shore rocking the bridge.
Thank you for this video.. I grew up in Sault Ste Marie and still live here. Lived a few years down state as well. I have been across this bridge many times, I have walked it on Labor Day and have had the opportunity to run across it the day after a race in Mackinaw City. I have always enjoyed just looking at the bridge from near or from a distance. I don't think it gets enough attention, but I appreciate the story you just did. Very informational for those who know nothing of it. Perhaps you could do a story of the International Bridge, connecting Sault Ste Marie Michigan and Sault Ste Marie Ontario in the future.
I just crossed the bridge this morning on my way back to Ohio after a snowmobiling trip! Always a treat crossing during the winter while the lakes are frozen.
My favourite bridge story was the McKillop bridge in Victoria, Australia. The rather large bridge replaced a more modest structure over the Snowy River which was washed away a week before the opening ceremony. I would have liked to sit in the project planning meeting which was looking forward to wrapping things up.
Awesome video sir! I am from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I used to cross Big Mac 4 times per week in an 18-wheel semi. Every time I crossed; I couldn't wait to do it again!! Thank the lord my company paid for the tolls, lol!! There are many semi-trucks that cross with 11 axels. Hefty toll!
I have driven back and forth across this bridge countless times. The grating in the middle lane drives me nuts. and the tar lane is so close to the edge. dont think ill ever get use to it. I have kayaked under it. and from st. Ignace to Mac Island. I prefer the water level method. slower. but so much safer and prettier. and you fall of your kayak. your a foot over the water...... Stay at Straights state park, the bridge is beautiful at night. all the lights. Simon. thank you for doing this video.
MI represent bois. I was born and raised in the UP but I've been downstate for 9 years now (God time flies). My grandpa on my mom's side worked on the bridge actually.
Thank you Simon! I've been across the mac twice. I'm from Kalamazoo originally so it was a big trip for our family going to the island. My grandparents, their 4 daughters and their families. it was a great time with everyone together. we went to the biggest christmas store as well on the way up i think its called bronners and frankenmouth. they have a german resturaunt there that we went to, it has a glockenspiel clock all sorts of neat little shops.
I've been over it a couple of times, but I'm deathly afraid of heights so someone else has to drive. Even with that it scares me to death. You are speaking of Bronners Christmas Wunderland in Frankenmuth (a Bavarian themed tourist trap town), the largest Christmas store in the world. Open year round. I live just a few miles from Frankenmuth. Grew up near Reese. They have festivals all the time. Me and my lady were there just a couple weeks ago for Winterfest. I've been to the clock shop you mentioned and the 2 big restaurants there are The Bavarian Inn and Zehnders. Both are very classy and distinctly German, as is the population. Tons of shops and things to do there.
@@spike6487 yeah I went as a teenager with a huge family trip it was a lot of fun. I think we ate at Zehnders if thats the one that has the glockenspiel out back.
Michigander here with houses on both sides of the Mighty Mac. Drove over it more than I can remember. Lots of people are afraid of the bridge for really no reason. Only two vehicles have ever been over the side of it. The first a Yugo in the mid-80s and a pickup truck whose driver committed suicide. Actually the mostly dangerous part of the bridge is the northern causeway which was built prior to WWII. It is only about eight feet above the surface of two of the Great Lakes Michigan and Huron. The wind rips over it often and pushes big trucks around.
Actually I remember my aunt and uncle who lived just outside Mackinaw City talking about a truck driver who almost went off the Bridge in the 1960's. The cab went over the railing and it took several hours to free the driver, they said. His mind snapped and he ended up being sent to the state hospital.
One lane across each in direction is a metal grate for much of the crossing. Now that’s an adventure using that lane. If you look down you can see the water hundreds of feet beneath your vehicle!
Lots of good topics in Michigan for all your channels. Ford Rouge Plant. Willow Run Bomber Plant. Henry Ford Museum. St. Clair River Tunnel. Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. Soo Locks. Copper Mining in the UP. LaFargeHolcim Cement Plant in Alpena. Fermi I. Kelloggs. Huron Mountain Club.
Geology Museum in Houghton, many things to see in the Soo, Copper Harbor is the best place in Michigan as far as I'm concerned, Marquette has a ton of history and a port to check out the Lakers, the amount of stuff to see in the UP. It boggles my mind every time we go "up across" because there's never enough time.
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Please do the Ambassador Bridge. It's really a fascinating story that is particularly relevant now.
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Fun fact. My grandma walk on the bridge when it first opened. We even have a photo of her there. Not only that my mother grew up in cheboygan, about 10 minute drive from the bridge to the east of mackinaw city
HOLY CRAP! YOU FINALLY DID IT!!!
THANK YOU SIMON! And everyone else who helped make this possible.
From all us Michiganders 🤗🤗🤗
I suggested this a month or so ago and very happy to see it done!
This was truly a mic drop short film.
This makes me so happy from petoskey m.
Yes, please spew more inaccurate facts of America that you've only read about on Reddit, 🤘 awesome
I think it's impressive that he got Mackinac correct, but messed up St. Ignace. Total opposite of what I would expect. Hopefully he does some videos on other places in the Yoop someday.
Messed up Delano too.
That was my thought as well
Geographics video on Mackinac Island would be great I think!
I did a double take the first time he said St.Ignace 🤨 “what did you just say”?
He botched Huron as well, lol.
I remember, as a kid, staying at the Budget Host Inn several times after a long trek across the U.P. from Ironwood to St. Ignace, slightly dreading the crossing into the Lower Peninsula the following day. You hear the vibrations of the car riding on top of the steel grating in the passing lane, unnerving in that you can see through to the bottom of the Straits, but necessary so that the pressure difference from the constantly blowing winds don't damage the superstructure of the bridge. It's 5-10 minutes of white-knuckling for any first-time crossers, especially in the winter. But nothing looks more spectacular than seeing the sun shine through the blue-green shoals along the shore as you cross during the summer.
Me watching all the other Michigan folk come out of the woodwork because we're finally famous for something besides Detroit. It's beautiful.
My home state! Driven over the span countless times. Always fun driving it in poor weather conditions. If you ever get to Mackinaw City there’s a pizza shop / Mackinaw Bridge history museum called Mama Mia’s Pizza. Good pizza and a good bit of history.
There are some surprisingly good pizza spots in the EUP
Funny listening to Simon say Saint Ignace ☺️
Crossed the bridge countless times to go to university in the UP! I love the bridge, one day I’d love to walk it.
@Joshua Stanard - I’m not a fan of going across it driving that grate. 😉
I’ve been on the MM when the water was hitting on the road itself as you enter St Ignace. That was not enjoyable.
Oh I miss Mama Mia's! Used to go there every weekend when my grandmother owned a shop in the city.
I feel like it’d be really hard for anyone outside of Michigan to really understand how much this bridge means to us.
Amen!
I live in Marquette, I'm a physician up here, I must agree, I travel a lot for continuing my medical training and what not. I love the Mighty Mac
I took a piece of it down to the South Pole....it's even in both South Pole markers👍
Thank you for this episode! My Grandfather worked on the Mighty Mac from beginning to end!!! It is one of the most amazing Bridges in the world! Thank you again
Agreed
I've been across the Mackinac Bridge more times than I can count over the last 50 years and it never fails to impress. One thing I never really thought about until someone from San Francisco saw it and pointed it out is that it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. A huge bridge like this is usually used to connect two urban areas, or at least one to someplace else. Anybody's who's been there knows calling Mackinaw City or St. Ignace an "urban area" is stretching the English language to its breaking point.
It can be intimidating to drive, with relatively narrow lanes, low railing and open grating on the inboard lanes, and it's hard not to think of Leslie Ann Pluhar every time I cross. One thing Simon didn't mention is that it is *always* being painted. Seeing workers walking along the cables or up on the towers always makes me glad that's not my job.
He did mention that. He said it takes 7 years to paint and once it is done, they start the process all over again.
@@donnalynn2 I think the bit that triggered my thought was the word "done". Repeating once you're done and "aways painting" describe the same thing, but in my mind the "done" sort of connotes a period, however brief, of cessation. That's not necessarily the case. Thank you for the correction.
In a different documentary it's mentioned that the biggest obstacle to getting built was the fact it was in the middle of nowhere.
I've driven an eighteen wheel semi over it. Gets even more scenic when you're ten feet off the deck.
I also walked it on Labor Day three times and stood guard with the National Guard twice and worked three summers on Mackinac Island. My dad actually worked the ferries before the bridge too.
So I'm pretty familiar with the Mighty Mac
The view from the top of the towers is absolutely amazing.
As someone who was born just under the bridge, I'm very excited you're finally doing a Megaprojects on it :) Also, michilimackinac is easy if you break it down, the first half of the word makes the same sound as Michigan, the rest is just Mackinac -- also yes, Mackinaw Island was considered the great turtle
When the night lights shine from the Bridge onto the straits, the milky way blankets the sky, the northern lights dance overhead it's beauty is unmatched in my opinion. I have to have someone drive me across, but the crossing is worth it.
This bridge is majestic. The setting is superb. The actual design of the bridge is superb. The history of the area is superb. It is the melding of all these that makes this bridge such a stand out. There is nothing to obstruct the view. It is a photographers dream. It must be viewed to be truly appreciated,
Agreed.
EPA would never approve a bridge there today because of all the dredging they did to reach solid rock for the caissons. 5/6 of bridge is actually below water level.
You’re right about it being a photographers dream- any angle and any distance (if you can see it), it looks gorgeous
One thing you overlooked, the bridge is two lanes in each direction and the inner lane in each direction is not paved it is a metal grate, a grate you can see clear down to the water through. This grate is disturbing to some drivers and occasionally causes people to panic and freak out and not be able to complete the drive across so the bridge has employees who will come out and finish driving you across if that happens. If you know this is going to be a problem you can actually ask to have them drive you and your car across for you at no extra charge.
My dad, big, tough ex-Marine he was, was scared shittless on the Macinac Bridge. We all liked seeing that LOL He hated the grates and the low pipe on the edge of the road. "How the hell is that supposed to keep you from going over?" Still one of the great marine views in all my travels. Nothing on Earth like the Great Lakes.
@@brianmartindale2221 lol You just never know what will get some people. I've only had the pleasure of driving across once and it was overcast/foggy and I could only see about 100ft in front of me so I missed the best views. I've got to get back on a nice day!
I'm from the U.P. of course been on the bridge but didn't know they have people who will help with that. Cool. Some people have a legit phobia, and sometimes you just don't know until it happens. Good idea and that's really nice if it's free. I like that.
@Maria Abramson it's a safety thing. Stopping midway in a panic can cause an accident, as does trying to get someone in a panic to take hands off steering wheel to unlock door. I've heard they have to pry their hands off steering wheel. So yeah, it's a safety service.
@@MariaAbrams they ended it for awhile due to convid but I believe last fall they restarted. If I remember correctly it's a $10 fee to be driven.
Been over the bridge several hundreds of times throughout my life and I still get goosebumps going over. Definitely a proud staple of my state.
I've only had an opportunity to go over it once and it was fogged in, I couldn't see 30 feet. I was so disappointed!
I am waiting for when they have to build another span so they can safely rehab the original.
It's always funny seeing how people crossing it for the first time react to the open deck.
@@abbottshaull9831 Where do you get your facts???
@@uprebel5150 eventually they will add another span to totally rehab the existing one.
We had gone to Sault Ste Marie this past Saturday (4-30-2022) and a woman working at a store we went to told us how she remembered coming up from GR at 7 years old to go to the UP via the ferry. At that time they were just beginning to build the pylons for the Bridge itself...what an interesting and eare story to hear!
I've been waiting for this video for so long. Once a Michigander, always a Michigander
My first trip across the Mighty MAC was in 1964 when I was 4 years old on a family vacation. As a born and raised Michigander I can’t count the trips since then! Thanks for the recognition as a Megaproject.
Michigan native here. Proud of our bridge "Mighty Mac"!
Love learning the history of my home state Michigan and history that is closer to my heart now that I live on Mackinac Island too.
Born and raised in Michigan(sadly I no longer live there, but) I hope to retire there...and someday, I plan on WALKING the Big Mac....GO MICHIGAN!!!!!!
I went across this bridge when I was little for a family reunion. Also took the ferry to Mackinaw island.
I will never forget looking down and seeing a massive cargo ship pass underneath.
It seemed like it was miles below me every time I remember it.
And everytime it returns in my nightmares that distance grows.
I remember my family and I crossed it in 1960 when I was 4. It was awesome and I will NEVER forget it!!!!! I remember there was an old french fort that they were just digging up on the other side.
I Love going Over That Bridge HightLight Of a vacation Up North.
I go across this bridge at least 6 times a year. I love it! Freaks some of my friends out though, so I drive across the metal grating to add to their freakout. It's such a beautiful bridge. This bridge does not get enough attention.
I drive it weekly and wish I had people that I could freak out with it LOL.
My Grandfather, Claude J. Worked on the bridge, and contrary yo published reports, he watched a msn fall into one of the concrete piers during construction and pouring continued unabated. He said they could not stop the pour once started and he was underneath the liquid concrete anyway and could not have been rescued. I've been across the bridge s hundred times in my 63 years and never cease to marvel at its majesty. Thank you for covering this marvel of engineering.
Despite the claims, there's never been any evidence that something like that happening. Most large bridges have at least one story like that, the Zilwaukee Bridge (a 1.5 mile 8 lane bridge on I75 in Midmichigan) has at least two claims and no evidence. A person's body in the concrete would eventually decompose creating a massive cavity/ weak spot in the concrete. Either they got the body out our your grandfather didn't see what he thought he saw.
@@caodesignworks2407 I cant say. All I know is what he said over the course of my lifetime, I must have heard him tell that story a dozen times. I never knew him to tell a lie throughout my lifetime. He's been gone since 1981, so I have no way of going back and asking him, sir.
@@stephenstevens6573 Having just lost my mother, that feeling of not being able to go back and get clarity or just a different perspective feels so odd.
2:15 - Chapter 1 - History
4:25 - Chapter 2 - Planning
7:45 - Mid roll ads
9:15 - Chapter 3 - Design & construction
11:40 - Chapter 4 - Accidents & fatalities
14:00 - Chapter 5 - Milestones
I'm from Michigan and we take great pride in the mackinac bridge
You should do one on the SS badger. It’s a ferry that takes cars and people across 62 miles of Lake Michigan. It’s been in service since the 1950s, It is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016.
I used the Badger a few years ago to cross Lake Michigan (I live in northeast Wisconsin; Dad lives in Lansing Michigan) on a night run. What fun! When they say "Great Lakes" they aren't kidding. Takes the ferry 4 hours to cross the lake, and halfway across you can't even see land, only distant communication tower lights. Too bad it was getting cloudy because the sky was very dark and there were a million stars.
Finally!!! The best bridge out there:)
I have photos of the construction up in my law office! My grandparents used to talk about the waits for the ferry back in the day.
Finally... The Original MegaProject.... Covered on MegaProjects....
I rode my motorcycle across that thing once.... ONCE.
I will say, it is disorienting, or strange, or confusing... You're driving, in the middle of nowhere, through heavy woods.... As you approach the town, you see the huge tall spires of the bridge, reaching skyward.... totally out of scale with your forested surroundings... It's like, where am I?????
Simon thank you for this Mega Projects!! I guess you do take suggestions from your viewers!! Got another Mega Projects recommendation!! Another Michigan marvel that is important for commerce world wide. The Soo Locks. The shipping locks that allow passage from Lake Superior to the lower lakes & through the Saint Lawrence Sea Way. Thank you again & keep up all the great work you and your team put out on all your channels.
I live 10 min south of the bridge and travel across it every day for work! Pretty cool to see it on here! Thanks!
Dang, what a commute!
I'm a little surprised you didn't do this bridge sooner. I used to live about a hour (or 50 miles) away. I've been over the Mac about a dozen times or more. I spent my honeymoon in Mackinac City. We call all the tourists "fudgies" up there. It's a very beautiful place, but you wouldn't want to live there year round. Most of the jobs are seasonal, (Memorial day to Labor Day). Most of those jobs are filled by foreign immigrant, labor. Mostly Jamaicans and Mexicans who leave as soon as the seasons over.
The snow is measured in feet or meters for you Brits. If your house doesn't have trees around it, the blowing snow will pile up so the only way out is through the second story window. They plow snow with construction equipment. There's always several Blizzards every year. You can always tell who the tourists are. Because their the ones in a ditch at the side of the road in the winter. Blowing snow causes what's called "white outs" when you can't see anything out of you windshield. Some people cause accidents when they slam on their brakes. Michigan is a No Fault state. So if you get into a car accident don't bother calling the police. As anyone can crash into anyone else and not be held accountable. There is no car inspection ether, so if it runs, you can drive it. Even if it's heavily damaged. Every year there's a big Hot rod car show at St Ignis. Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs did a episode on the Mac too where he helped paint it. Thanks.
Years ago, I was doing the tourist thing in Mackinac City, a bit early in the season. I got in line behind a bunch of locals at the Dairy Queen. Had to laugh when I heard one say that it was good to have such short lines before the "fudgies" arrived.
I've been requesting this one for awhile. I'm a Michigan native and of course feel this bridge gets overlooked!
Simon, another great Michigan Megaprojects would be the Standards Rock lighthouse, one of the ten most challenging engineering projects in the USA and "The Loneliest Place in the World"
My ABSOLUTE favorite thing is crossing with my 20ft snowmobile stuffed trailer on a -5 day with high wind warnings! Gets the old heart pumping! Love the Mac and the U.P! As a life long Michigander I take great pride in our states modern marvel. Thanks for making the video. Come cross the bridge and enjoy our state!
Never thought Simon would do a video on Michigan this awesome
My dad had me drive over this as a kid while I was going through drivers ed. He had me pull a trailer while in high winds, so that was a lot of fun.
Can you do the history of The Thunderbirds?
The airshow, not the TV show.
Their history is decades long, tragic, and they've entertained millions.
Thank you from the YF-23 guy, and Nellis AFB, home of The Thunderbirds!! I grew up watching them practice. Thank you...
Coming soon. Already recorded it :)
Love to see the big bridge getting some love
Bucket list. I’ve been a truck driver since 1998. I have yet to cross this bridge. I’m now dedicated in Minnesota, so I doubt I’ll be going up into the UP anytime soon.
What really makes this bridge unique compared to the Golden Gate, Bay, Brooklyn bridges is those are all joining together two sides of a major US city with millions of people.
The Mackinac Bridge connects a rural area to an even ruraler area. Is ruraler a word? It is now!
The U.P. has (had) lots of copper mining and timber, but those things are much cheaper and easier to send by water through that great network of navigable waterways we have than to build costly roads through dense forest.
Even if the bridge had always been there, it'd still be cheaper to ship this stuff by water than land.
This bridge was pretty much just to get Michigan residents from one side to the other because Michigan really likes its U.P.
Ruraler is my favorite new word!
My dad worked on the bridge in the 80s and 90s It was an awesome surprise to see this pop up in my feed today, thanks Simon!
I was born in Marquette, Michigan in November 1956. Shortly afterwards my father took a job in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Sometime before February 1958 when my brother was born in Kalamazoo, he sent for my mother and me. Since my mother was pregnant at the time with my brother, the doctors told her "no long car trips" and so we flew from Iron Mountain to Kalamazoo to meet my father. So I missed out on taking the ferry across the Straits. I'm not sure what happened to them but at one time we did have home videos of the Mackinac Bridge under construction. Needless to say, Big Mac has played a large part in my life. The most memorable being the crossing sometime around November 1965 when my brother and I were riding in our Frankin Camper and the toll operator told my father (who did NOT tell him that his two children were riding in the camper in the back) that there was a 55 mph gale on the Bridge and that he should not go over 10 mph and when he got to the anchorages and the towers to stop. Well we started out heading southbound and that wind picked up the camper and made it lean at least a foot higher on the right-hand side and it stayed that way until we got to the first anchorage and Dad stopped and it rocked and rocked and rocked and when it finally stopped rocking Dad started out again and this was the way things were all the way across the Bridge. Normally my brother and I rode in the overcab but this time we were in the kitchenette area and we were SO SCARED we didn't make a peep and I don't know about him but I was too scared to pray. I still remember how cold it was, how the wind blew out the pilot light on the furnace on the sheltered side of the camper, and seeing the cold gray waters below through the cables. It took at least an hour to cross the damn Bridge. Am I afraid to drive on Big Mac? Oh HELL NO! I've seen the worst it can throw at me and I've survived, so driving across is a piece of cake. I've even walked it a couple of times. I've heard people talk about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, well let me tell you, my brother and I rode across that in the overcab of our Franklin Camper back around 1974 after the second span was opened and I didn't have a problem with that, in fact I thought the Chesapeake Bay Bridge pretty cool as it was a lot like flying. I didn't know we were supposed to be scared but as I said I think I have seen the worst Big Mac can throw at me and I survived to tell the tale so these bridges really don't scare me much. I think Big Mac is the MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE IN THE WORLD, although I also have a soft spot for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge if you can't tell.
YAY THANK YOU SIMON AND TEAM - Native Yooper ❤️❤️❤️
All Michiganders crying tears of happiness right now!
He even clarified the correct pronounciation of Mackinac.
Guess all those comments I made in suggestions for this and the island including that were heard.
@@DMJoeBing we did it 😭😁
Born in California, grew up in Michigan, moved back to California a few years ago and since you dropped this chanel I've wanted to see this one for so long. The songs of the bridge when they were building it were taught to us in primary and this was just a wonderful reminder of my childhood.
Thank you! As a Michigander I am proud of Big Mac. When they replaced the grating of the bridge a few years ago they auctioned off pieces. I am now the very proud owner of several pieces.
Ahhh, I love this video. My family used to cross this bridge in the 1970's when my Aunt lived in Michigan, and we traveled from Minnesota!
My grandpa has told me many stories of before the Mighty Mac. He remembers having to wait hours to board the ferry and he was so happy the first time he got to cross the bridge.
When I first saw the Golden Gate Bridge, I said, "That's it? It's so small." My California hosts were shocked. Driving across the Mackinac Bridge is always a rush. I'm actually too scared to do it, so I make other people. I prefer gawking anyway. She's so beautiful!
I've been over in several times, it's a nightmare to drive over. The wind sucks, people's driving sucks but those two could be hand in hand, my driving sucks on it but the bridge is impressive
Lol. .. I had the same thought myself!
I'll be towing snowmobiles across this bridge this weekend. Something that make it unique is the fact that's built in such rural area. Most of its competitors are built in or near big cities.
My home state! Students from my school at Interlochen provided music at the dedication ceremony.
Fantastic vid as always. The bridge towers are a sight to behold as you drive up to it. Additionally there are ferry tours at sunset under the bridge. #puremichigan
I've crossed the big Mac many many times over my years, and it never gets old.. crossed it for the first time on my motorcycle last year.. love it and mackinaw city.. the U.P. is one beautiful place.. a must do if no one has done a trip up there
did the bridge walk for 5 years in a row!! what an amazing marvel and treasure my state has.. thankyou for sharing this with the world.. there's even a service where bridge authority will drive nervous drivers over the bridge, esp during bad weather.. the middle lane is see through grates. u can see straight down into the water on a sunny day as u drive over, scary for some.
I live in Michigan. I have done so all my life. The Bridge is iconic. So nice to see.
As a born & bred Michigander, I never thought about how many difficult place names we have, until I get to smile while someone stumbles through a few.
Even though i beleive you may have misspoke the year. I was on the bridge just as the plane that hit the bridges cables. I was 7yrs old.. i remember seeing the wing laying on the deck as we slowly drove past it. i remember it as if it was yesterday.
I am born and raised in upper Michigan. Love to see this episode... The Soo locks are pretty cool projects as well as the ore ships that frequent them.
There is a 10 year project to combine 2 locks into 1 to accommodate the larger vessels passing through the Soo Locks. When it's completed, there will be 3 active locks instead of 2. There is a proposal to name it the Fitzgerald Lock. That would be an interesting subject to cover on this channel.
One of the funniest things I ever saw was at the Soo Locks. Up on the observation deck, I saw one of those little one man sail boats go through the lock. It looked like a rubber duck in a bathtub,.
I walked the bridge with my family from 1992 until 2009 (we missed 2002 & 2004).
It was a family tradition to end our summer up there.
So this is what it feels like for everyone else when Simon says things local to you oddly
My sentiments exactly. His accent butchered our lakes and cities
My first thought was that he normally gets the names of places correct.
@@uprebel5150 He gets them correct in THE KINGS ENGLISH.
YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for this. I have a piece of the grating from the road deck on my desk as I type this. I have been across the Mighty Mac more times than I can count, but I never took it for granted. It is awe inspiring.
Michigander here, thank you for doing a video on our humble little bridge.
Love being up there. My first Bridge Walk was in 1981. My final walk was last years 2021. Health problems ended that. I completed the double cross. Will be visiting in June taking my Aunt from Tennessee for her first time.
Thank you for this! I had just recommended this in a comment a week back. This is one of favorite bridges!
Pure Michigan!
Mackinac Island is a very special place that everyone should visit.
I fell in love with this bridge while flying over Michigan on Microsoft Flight Simulator!
In the mid 60's my family did a loop of Lake Michigan and crossed the Mighty Mac.... over half a century later I'm living in North Carolina and drive to South Bend, Indiana by way of Sault Ste Marie just because I wanted to go over the bridge again.
What an awesome bridge, and it's the only one of the worlds great suspension bridges that connects two rural areas.
Yooper here! Thank you for this video. I walked the bridge once, I was 17 and with my drill team group from Calumet. Such a blast!
Fantastic video Simon! I'm actually a Michigander myself here residing in the Metro Detroit area. I just took a weekend vacation the past year across the Mighty Mac to St. Ignace in the upper peninsula or "U.P." as we call it, took a ferry over to Mackinac Island itself, then stopped in Mackinaw City in the lower peninsula on the way home.
Mackinac Island itself is a very interesting place, and I think you would be able to make a great Geographics video on the topic of it!
Grew up in the UP and have been over this bridge probably hundreds of times. It's always nerve-wracking haha. Also, Simon, wtf, how'd you slaughter "St. Ignace" so dramatically?
I grew up in SW lower Michigan so the complete other part of the state but have been to Mackinac Island. Have not had occasion to go over the bridge but keep hoping I will get to take my husband there. I moved to Florida when I became an adult. Maybe it is just my experience, but I personally never saw Mackinac spelled with a W on the end. Maybe it's more prevalent in the UP, not sure. I will say my mom who hated even little bridges refused to go over. My parents were crossing before I was born, and she flatly refused but my dad really wanted to drive across, so she got out and waited for him to go across and come back. LOL I heard you can pay people to drive you across if you are too frightened.
From Florida just take I 75 North til u see the big bridge, you really can't miss it!
I’m from Royal Oak, Michigan and it’s cool to see someone from the other side of the Atlantic covering the Mackinac bridge. My mom did the bridge walk last summer, she said it was really windy, but really cool.😁
Thank you for this. Grew up in Michigan and would travel to Mackinaw every couple summers growing up. I still remember crossing the bridge and looking out the window down and seeing the straits below and the time tornado's formed off the shore rocking the bridge.
I’m from Michigan and drive truck over that almost once a month! Thank you Simon
I live in lower Michigan. I have been to the U.P. on four-wheeling trips. The bridge is very cool. No words are adequate.
Thank you for this video.. I grew up in Sault Ste Marie and still live here. Lived a few years down state as well. I have been across this bridge many times, I have walked it on Labor Day and have had the opportunity to run across it the day after a race in Mackinaw City. I have always enjoyed just looking at the bridge from near or from a distance. I don't think it gets enough attention, but I appreciate the story you just did. Very informational for those who know nothing of it. Perhaps you could do a story of the International Bridge, connecting Sault Ste Marie Michigan and Sault Ste Marie Ontario in the future.
I just crossed the bridge this morning on my way back to Ohio after a snowmobiling trip! Always a treat crossing during the winter while the lakes are frozen.
My great grandpa worked on the bridge. We just crossed last week. Love it up north !!❤❤❤
Yes! I moved from Ontario to Wisconsin last year and I take this bridge most of my trips. It's always quite imposing
I had used this bridge many times especially this past summer. Love it every time
My favourite bridge story was the McKillop bridge in Victoria, Australia. The rather large bridge replaced a more modest structure over the Snowy River which was washed away a week before the opening ceremony. I would have liked to sit in the project planning meeting which was looking forward to wrapping things up.
Awesome video sir! I am from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I used to cross Big Mac 4 times per week in an 18-wheel semi. Every time I crossed; I couldn't wait to do it again!! Thank the lord my company paid for the tolls, lol!! There are many semi-trucks that cross with 11 axels. Hefty toll!
I went there with my family back when I was about six or seven. It's such a good time
MORE BRIDGES, thats the way to go. thanks Simon....
Bridge Episodes are my favorite! MORE BRIDGES!!!
I've driven across this bridge once in my life. It's pretty wild how high up you feel. Almost like flying your car across a lake. Good video!
I have driven back and forth across this bridge countless times. The grating in the middle lane drives me nuts. and the tar lane is so close to the edge. dont think ill ever get use to it. I have kayaked under it. and from st. Ignace to Mac Island. I prefer the water level method. slower. but so much safer and prettier. and you fall of your kayak. your a foot over the water...... Stay at Straights state park, the bridge is beautiful at night. all the lights. Simon. thank you for doing this video.
From Michigan and love seeing the bridge here!
MI represent bois. I was born and raised in the UP but I've been downstate for 9 years now (God time flies).
My grandpa on my mom's side worked on the bridge actually.
Thank you Simon! I've been across the mac twice. I'm from Kalamazoo originally so it was a big trip for our family going to the island. My grandparents, their 4 daughters and their families. it was a great time with everyone together. we went to the biggest christmas store as well on the way up i think its called bronners and frankenmouth. they have a german resturaunt there that we went to, it has a glockenspiel clock all sorts of neat little shops.
I've been over it a couple of times, but I'm deathly afraid of heights so someone else has to drive. Even with that it scares me to death. You are speaking of Bronners Christmas Wunderland in Frankenmuth (a Bavarian themed tourist trap town), the largest Christmas store in the world. Open year round. I live just a few miles from Frankenmuth. Grew up near Reese. They have festivals all the time. Me and my lady were there just a couple weeks ago for Winterfest. I've been to the clock shop you mentioned and the 2 big restaurants there are The Bavarian Inn and Zehnders. Both are very classy and distinctly German, as is the population. Tons of shops and things to do there.
@@spike6487 yeah I went as a teenager with a huge family trip it was a lot of fun. I think we ate at Zehnders if thats the one that has the glockenspiel out back.
Michigander here with houses on both sides of the Mighty Mac. Drove over it more than I can remember. Lots of people are afraid of the bridge for really no reason. Only two vehicles have ever been over the side of it. The first a Yugo in the mid-80s and a pickup truck whose driver committed suicide. Actually the mostly dangerous part of the bridge is the northern causeway which was built prior to WWII. It is only about eight feet above the surface of two of the Great Lakes Michigan and Huron. The wind rips over it often and pushes big trucks around.
Actually I remember my aunt and uncle who lived just outside Mackinaw City talking about a truck driver who almost went off the Bridge in the 1960's. The cab went over the railing and it took several hours to free the driver, they said. His mind snapped and he ended up being sent to the state hospital.
Thank You Simon for pronouncing it the way those of us do that live in Michigan.
Seeing this bridge north/south of I75 was always a spectacular phenomena
One lane across each in direction is a metal grate for much of the crossing. Now that’s an adventure using that lane. If you look down you can see the water hundreds of feet beneath your vehicle!
I have crossed it 3 times in my life and it is AWESOME!!!
Lots of good topics in Michigan for all your channels. Ford Rouge Plant. Willow Run Bomber Plant. Henry Ford Museum. St. Clair River Tunnel. Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. Soo Locks. Copper Mining in the UP. LaFargeHolcim Cement Plant in Alpena. Fermi I. Kelloggs. Huron Mountain Club.
Geology Museum in Houghton, many things to see in the Soo, Copper Harbor is the best place in Michigan as far as I'm concerned, Marquette has a ton of history and a port to check out the Lakers, the amount of stuff to see in the UP. It boggles my mind every time we go "up across" because there's never enough time.