The Mackinac Bridge is the American bridge opened in 1957 across the Straits of Mackinac.
The bridge connects Michigan’s Lower Peninsula with the Upper Peninsula, replacing a busy ferry service across the straits. It was formally dedicated on November 1, 1957, and became a major road link for travel within the state.
Its main suspension span measures 3,800 feet, or about 1,158 metres. At completion, that was the third-longest suspended span in the world. The bridge’s towers rise 554 feet above the water, and its roadway is carried by a stiffening truss designed to withstand strong winds.
Mackinac Bridge is sometimes called “Mighty Mac.” It is not the same as Michigan’s Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, and crosses the Detroit River rather than the Straits of Mackinac.