The idea of the bridge was discussed in the Michigan Legislature as early as the 1880s. At the time, the Straits of Mackinac area was becoming a popular tourist destination, especially following the creation of Mackinac National Park on Mackinac Island in 1875.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinaw_Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet. The length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier is 7,400 feet. Length of main span (between towers) is 3,800 feet. The width of the roadway is 54 feet.
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9618_11016-22026--,00.html
Overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron, just north of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper Peninsula with the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge spans the Straights of Mackinac that lie between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron with Mackinaw City on the south end of the bridge and St. Ignace on the north. Travel to Mackinac Island is by boat, ferryboat, or by small plane.
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/mackinac/island.html
The length of the bridge's main span is 3,800 feet (1,158 m), which makes it the third-longest suspension span in the United States and 17th longest suspension span worldwide. It is also one of the world's longest bridges overall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinaw_Bridge
Officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, it spans the first narrows of the Burrard Inlet, connecting the city of Vancouver, BC, Canada with West Vancouver, the City of No…rth Vancouver, and the District of North Vancouver.
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_body_of_water_does_the_mackinac_bridge_cross_over
A year later, the bridge was formally dedicated as the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages, allowing a superlative comparison to the Golden Gate Bridge, which had a longer center span between towers, and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which had an anchorage in the middle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinaw_Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world. In 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan became the longest with a total suspension of 12,826 feet.
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9618_11016-22026--,00.html
The Mackinac Bridge is my inspiration point having been fascinated by it for forty years come September 2011. I plan on heading up to see it and a lighthouse that sits in its awesome shadow in a few months hopefully. Always nice to see others sharing simular feelings as I and posting their thoughts on this forum.
http://bridgehunter.com/mi/emmet/mackinac/
The East River, which is technically not a river, but an estuary, or tidal strait. Unlike a true river, it connects to the ocean on both sides. It flows south from the bay kno…wn as the Long Island Sound, down the east side of Manhattan and the west side of Queens and Brooklyn, and into the Atlantic Ocean. Making the world better, one answer at a time.
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_body_of_water_does_the_mackinac_bridge_cross_over
The Mackinac Bridge (/ˈmækᵻnɔː/ MAK-in-aw) is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinaw_Bridge
which river does the mackinac bridge span
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac. The Mackinac Bridge is spanning the Straits of Mackinac river.