The Mackinac Bridge from the St. Ignace side

St. Ignace sits at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge. The full bridge, including its approaches, runs 26,372 feet — just under five miles — across the Straits of Mackinac to Mackinaw City. It opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.

For motorists, the bridge replaced the state ferry system that had carried traffic across the Straits since 1923. The Bridge Authority says those ferries moved about 12 million vehicles and more than 30 million passengers over 34 years. In their final year they carried about 900,000 vehicles, more than the service could comfortably handle. State car-ferry service ended when the bridge opened.

Prentiss Brown of St. Ignace chaired the first Mackinac Bridge Authority. The Authority credits his persistence with helping secure the financing. Engineer David B. Steinman designed the bridge, and construction ran from May 1954 to the 1957 opening. The comparison needs a ruler attached: its suspension section is 8,614 feet including the anchorages. The Authority says it was the world’s longest suspension bridge between cable anchorages when built. Today, the Authority ranks it seventh worldwide by total suspended length and longest in the Western Hemisphere.

Five workers died during construction. Bridge View Park in St. Ignace has a memorial to them along with broad views and interpretive displays. The annual Labor Day Bridge Walk also starts from the St. Ignace side, but the route, traffic closure, and transportation plan can change. Read the current event instructions before making plans.