[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Pages 29098-29099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MACKINAC BRIDGE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the State of Michigan today celebrates the 
50th anniversary of the bridging of Michigan's two peninsulas through 
the engineering feat known as the Mackinac Bridge. A suspension bridge 
spanning a 5 mile stretch of the Straits of Mackinac, the Mighty Mac or 
Big Mac has become an icon of Michigan.
  Although dreams of connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsula by bridge 
began in the 1880s, it would take more than 70 years for that dream to 
become a reality. In the meantime, ideas for crossing the straits 
ranged from the improbable--a floating tunnel to the impractical--a 
series of bridges and causeways--to the doable--a ferry service.
  In 1923, Michigan began car ferry service across the Straits of 
Mackinac between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. Traffic on the car 
ferries became so heavy within just 5 years that another option--a 
bridge--needed to be seriously considered. The State Highway Department 
undertook a feasibility study that reported favorably on a bridge.
  Although the need and the know-how were there, the money was not. The 
Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority of Michigan, established in 1934 by 
the State legislature, tried twice that decade to obtain Federal funds 
from the federal Public Works Administration but was refused. World War 
II stopped further progress on a bridge.
  In January 1951, the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority issued a 
favorable feasibility study. Legislation to finance and build the 
bridge passed in early 1952. The Authority was ready to offer bonds for 
sale by March 1953, but the money market had weakened. Later that 
spring, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill to pay for the annual 
operating and maintenance costs of the bridge from gasoline and license 
plate taxes. The market strengthened by the end of the year and almost 
$1 billion worth of Mackinac Bridge bonds were sold.

[[Page 29099]]

  Prentiss M. Brown, a former U.S. Senator and chairman of the board of 
Detroit Edison Company, served as the first chairman of the Mackinac 
Bridge Authority and shepherded the process of securing financing for 
the Mackinac Bridge. In the words of Jack Carlisle, an announcer for 
WWJ radio in Detroit, Brown ``refused to accept defeat when it seemed 
inevitable. Prentiss M. Brown just wouldn't stay licked.''
  Construction of the bridge officially began on May 7 and 8, 1954, 
with ceremonies in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. Designed by Dr. David 
B. Steinman, building the Mackinac Bridge required a complex 
choreography of engineering detail and construction skill as evidenced 
by the 4,000 engineering drawings and 85,000 blueprints. Over 11,000 
people worked on the bridge including 350 engineers, 3,500 workers on 
site and 7,500 workers at quarries, mills, and shops elsewhere.
  On November 1, 1957, the Mighty Mac opened to traffic with the formal 
dedication taking place the following June. The dream of bridging the 
Upper and Lower Peninsula had finally become a reality.
  At 552 feet above the water, the main towers of Big Mac are almost 
exactly as high as the Washington Monument, which stands at 555 feet. 
When measured by its total length of 26,372 feet, the Mackinac Bridge 
qualifies as the longest suspension bridge in the United States, but 
falls to third place behind the Golden Gate Bridge and Verrazano 
Narrows Bridge if only the suspended portion of the bridge is counted.
  Once a year, the Big Mac opens its span to the oldest form of 
transportation--walking. Begun in 1958, the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk 
has become a Labor Day tradition for Michigan families on both 
peninsulas. The bridge's beautiful silhouette beckons thousands with 
the promise of an exhilarating 5-mile walk and spectacular views of 
shoreline and water from 200 feet above the Straits of Mackinac.
  Over the past 50 years, the Mackinac Bridge has become an elegant 
landmark for our State and a source of pride for all of us. Today 
Michigan commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Mackinac Bridge with 
a celebration at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace. My heart is with all 
the people who are there celebrating, and I wish the rest of me were 
there too. Congratulations, Big Mac.

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