Mackinaw City, Michigan - I-75 NB to the Mighty Mac
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Drive from Gaylord, Michigan across the Mackinac Bridge to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Music & Artist:
1. Emmit Fenn & Shallou - Hollow
2. San Holo x Manila Killa - Mean It (Ft. Nick Lopez)
3. Abaze - Perpetua (Original Mix)
4. Xiera - Rendezvous
Date Recorded: 10/18/2021
Car: 2017 Ford F-350
Driver: Edward
My grandfather worked on the freeway south of the bridge on the segment going from Exits 313 to 337. That section opened in November 1960 and allowed motorists to bypass the city of Cheboygan on US-27 (now M-27). I remember he said something about doing sod work? I assume for the roadway.
He also has some 2x2 Kodak color slides of the actual Mackinac Bridge under construction taken around 1956 I would guess. They have never been seen before. However, he didn't work on the actual bridge and I'm not sure who took the photos. They were just in his closet and I found the boxes containing family photos and the carousel projector.
Also, the bridge at 4:58 (Rondo Road) is a rare example of a bridge with a unique railing that the MSHD (now MDOT) was using on their overpasses from 1960-1962, when I-75 was built between Grayling and Mackinaw City. Most of the bridges that had this type of railing have had the railing replaced by an ugly Jersey barrier, but this is one of the only examples in Michigan/Ontario where it has never been replaced.
11:00 and 11:55 are examples of the famous "R4" railing, which was used in Michigan for many years until the early 1960s. However, these examples have had modern Armco guardrails bolted on for safety purposes, but the original railing is still there. Many of these railings have been replaced with Jersey barriers like I mentioned earlier, which is sad. I think it's because they aren't up to freeway specifications anymore and they aren't "safe" enough.
Thanks for the brief history on this section! The section of concrete pavement just north of Exit 326 still looks like the original pavement. I agree with your take on the new bridge railings MDOT is putting up now. The guardrail placed in front of the older R4 and open parapet railing is known as a thrie beam retrofit. I think the concern with the older railings was probably due to the brush block at the base of the railing being a vaulting hazard.
I do think the new MDOT bridge railing standard is quite ugly - especially the new Type 6 and Type 7 ones. They look more like a trapezoid now instead of the older jersey barrier look. I also think we should taper the concrete railing down at the ends to match the guardrail bridge anchorage height too like other states do. The aesthetic parapet tube bridge railing is the only bridge railing I like in the current MDOT bridge standards, but these railings are usually only used when there's sidewalk in conjunction with the railing. Anyways, thanks for the comment and I do think MDOT should be preserving more of these older railings.
I also thought the same about the “rough road” sign. In a car with lowered suspension, it felt not too shabby in comparison to southeast Michigan roads.
I can still remember my first time going across the mighty Mac. Eighteen years old and I had just graduated from high school we planned a camping trip to the U.P. One of the best times of my life.
Really iconic structure for sure. Thanks for watching!
Wish you had taken a picture of the full bridge from a distance so the uninitiated could see it's majesty.
Beautiful fall colours. The Mighty Mac is a tremendously impressive structure.
Love these types of drives during the fall season. It always seems too short before all the leaves are gone and snow is here. Thanks for watching!
Such a great drive! I was able to head up the same exact way a few weeks after this video was recorded! Hit some snow when we got to Marquette, but seeing the colourful leaves was really something everyone should see. Great video!
Might've saw you on the way back on M-28 if that's what you took! The UP just got its first snowfall the day we left. I agree with the Fall colors, really one of the best times to get up there. Thanks for the comment!
Finally got a chance to go to the upper peninsula this summer when I took a trip by myself from southwestern Pennsylvania to Michigan. I just wish I had taken a longer trip. So much to do and see in Michigan. It would be nice if the Mackinac bridge accepted EZ-pass.
I feel the exact same in the sense that I wish I had more time to explore the UP. And yeah the toll is definitely only a Mackinac Bridge thing and not even a state thing as we don't really have any toll freeways in the state. Thanks for watching!
The bridge authority has MacPass which is basically their version of EZ-Pass for the bridge. The only toll roads in Michigan are the bridges (Mackinac, Blue Water, Sault Ste Marie, Ambassador, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel)