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Once the caissons were in place, creeper derricks were added, which raised materials to erect the towers and continued to climb higher. Caissons were constructed, floated into position and sunk to provide the footings for the two immense towers which would suspend the center span of the bridge. In January 1953, Steinman was appointed as the design engineer for the Mackinac Bridge, and his recommendations were incorporated into its design. Representing a new level of aerodynamic stability in suspension bridges for its time, the Mackinac Bridge was the first long-span suspension bridge to incorporate specific design features, including a porous deck, to manage the forces imposed on it by winds. Construction of "Mighty Mac" took over three years in a demanding climate, and the structure's completion made all-weather travel between Michigan's two regions possible.Ĭonstruction of the Mackinac Bridge began with the construction of the pillars. Among his recommendations were that future bridge designs include deep trusses to stiffen the bridge deck and an open-grid roadway to reduce its wind resistance. Steinman published a theoretical analysis of suspension-bridge stability problems. Three years after the Tacoma Narrows disaster, engineer David B. The design of the Mackinac Bridge was directly influenced by the lessons of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which failed on November 7, 1940, due to instability under wind stresses.

state of Michigan between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the U.S.