The Mighty Mac

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge is a cherished experience for many Michiganders. However, studying its history gave me a greater appreciation for this modern marvel.

My greatest challenge during the research was trimming the overwhelming amount of text. I aimed to create an exploratory visualization using two main graphics supported by smaller ones. The timeline (created from an area graph) highlights the difficulties of connecting upper and lower Michigan and the number of vehicles that crossed the bridge. The bridge diagram visualizes the construction details. Historic photos were added to clearly visualize complex topics.

Ultimately, this project inspired by a piece of the “original 1957 bridge grate” found at an art festival helped increase my storytelling skills, software knowledge and subject understanding.