Even the Mackinac Bridge needs some Spring cleaning- you won't believe how much effort is involved.

Mackinac Bridge Authority Photo
Mackinac Bridge Authority Photo
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Just like your home, the Mackinac Bridge needs a good Spring cleaning every year. The Mackinac Bridge Authority are the people that get it done.

Brave steeplejacks climb out onto the bridge's cables and beams to look for any damage that may have occurred during the winter months. They're watching for areas of the steel grating that need some reinforcement, or bridge deck joints – there are more than 200 of them – that have been damaged by snowplows.

Spring is also when crews begin replacing some of the steel grating sections that make up the driving surface in the inside lanes of the bridge. Each is 38-feet-long, and between six and 20 are replaced each year as needed. Other projects, including spot painting and concrete patching, resume in the spring as that kind of work is temperature-sensitive.

The time-consuming work is washing off all of the sand and salt that has accumulated on the bridge over the Winter. Crews do this mostly by hand to reach every nook and cranny.

Once the work is finished, the Mighty Mac is ready to carry visitors to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to see the Soo Locks, Pictured Rocks or any other Pure Michigan destination.

Mackinac Bridge Authority Photo
Mackinac Bridge Authority Photo
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Bonus Video: Big Waves at Holland State Park

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