Driver Caught Going Over the Mackinac Bridge in the Wrong Direction [VIDEO]
Driving over the Mackinac Bridge may not seem like a big deal, but there's a very good chance that you have at least some memory of the first time you were planted behind the wheel to make the trek between Michigan's two beautiful peninsulas. You may have been a little nervous but at the end of the day conquering the Mighty Mac Bridge was probably uneventful.
And chances are, you probably didn't go the wrong way.
[Side Note: My mom lived most of her adult life 'up north' and never once drove across the bridge. As a passenger, she INSISTED that we drive in the outside lanes in order to avoid driving over the metal grates which are on the inside lanes.]
Going the Wrong Way
Take a close look at the video below. It was recorded on Thursday (3/24) during a several-hour stretch when the Mackinac Bridge was closed to traffic in both directions because of falling ice. A vehicle was spotted crossing the five-mile span, going the wrong way. From the perspective of the camera, it appears that the vehicle is traveling north (toward the Upper Peninsula) in the southbound lanes.
The video was captured by Up North Live, which operates television stations in Northern Michigan. The clip was posted on Facebook, noting that the recording was from the TV stations' weather observation camera.
Busted
At the conclusion of the clip, you can see that the driver doesn't quite make it halfway across the Mighty Mac when a police cruiser comes into view. We don't know exactly what happened after that, but can only assume that driving the wrong way on the Mackinac Bridge is not something that is taken lightly.
Many keyboard warriors noted in the comments section that when the Mackinac Bridge Authority closes the bridge due to weather conditions, barricades are erected at the entrance to the bridge on each side but there are no such barricades at the exits. It has been pointed out that there could be some confusion if one is not familiar with the area, so it is conceivable that someone may have accidentally wound up on the wrong side of the bridge.
But please, read the signs carefully. And stay in the outside lanes to avoid the metal grates.