You Could Own A Piece of the Mackinac Bridge – Best Christmas Present Ever?
In a Facebook post on December 9th, the Michigan Department of Transportation highlighted an amazing opportunity for Michiganders to own a piece of the Mackinac Bridge. Five small sections of the steel grating on the bridge that have been removed and replaced have been put up for auction, giving people the chance to own an incredibly unique keepsake. What an awesome conversation piece this would be! While we sit here and dream of how we would display such an awesome piece of Michigan history, we will share the details of the auction for any interested parties.
“Section of original steel grating from the Mackinac Bridge deck. Selling 5 individual, identical pieces of grating separately. THIS AUCTION IS FOR ONE PIECE. Pieces are approximately 30 inches by 60 inches and 5 inches deep. Condition is used with corrosion and section loss appropriate to steel that is 60 years old.” Chances are if you drove across the Mackinac Bridge in the last few decades you probably drove over one of the pieces in this auction. You can view the auction at www.govdeals.com.
The Mackinac Bridge carries I-75 over the Straits of Mackinac, and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Michigan. It is roughly five miles long and its two towers rise 552 feet. It opened in November of 1957 and has seen more than 100 million crossings since then.
The auctions for these perfect Christmas gifts for the hard-to-shop-for person in your family end on December 22nd. Current high bids on the five lots range from $82 to $260. Winning bidders have to figure out how to pick-up and transport the 200 pound pieces of steel deck grating, but if you’re bidding in this auction you’ve likely already figured it out.
MDOT has auctioned off pieces of the bridge in the past, including large sections, barrels of smaller pieces, and small pieces (5″ by 8″). While the small pieces are sometimes sold by the Mackinac Bridge Authority, larger pieces have gone for up to $3,100 at auction.
