How Not to Cross the Mackinac Bridge
Andrew Norton
Some more trivia tidbits from my library copy of the Michillaneous book containing all sorts of strange facts about Michigan. Today I bring a list of some strange ways people have crossed the Mackinac Bridge as well as how not to cross the Mighty Mac. June 1973 An Amish family was traveling from Maine to Colorado and crossed the bridge in a horse-drawn buggy. The Bridge Authority closed one lane of the five-mile span for the one-hour crossing.
Labor Day, 1978 Farmers, in protest of government policy on beef import quotas and standards, blocked the one open traffic lane and backed up traffic for several miles as the annual Labor Day bridge walk took place.
In 1980 we have the following statistics -
- One out of 10,000 had to have their cars driven across for them because they were too afraid to drive themselves.
- One out of 27,000 ran out of gas.
- One out of 45,000 had a flat tire.
- Patrol cars stopped one out of 25,000 for not paying the toll.