The Gordie Howe International Bridge shares an interesting article & video on their ongoing Aesthetic Lighting Testing than 6,000 programmable, energy-efficient white LED fixtures have been installed across the bridge towers, stay cables, back span, piers, approach span and bridge deck. Each fixture is designed to last more than 100,000 hours with linear lights having the longest lifespan lasting up to 280,000 hours (10 to 30 years!).
The Pure Michigan Fall Color Update says that parts of the Upper Peninsula including Marquette (60-80%) are nearing peak fall color while others like the Keweenaw Peninsula (40-60%) and Manistique (20-40%) are still a mix of fiery foliage and emerald green.
The Northern Lower Peninsula is flirting with 50% right now while southern Michigan is mostly just getting going, but they have estimates for peak color for Traverse City & Oscoda in the October 12-19th range and further south, Grand Rapids or Frankenmuth kicking off around October 20th with Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor & southern Michigan getting to peak around the 26th of this month.
Wherever you are, the cool weather has color coming on fast. As a bonus, Pure Michigan’s color report adds fun fall activities for every region – get out there & enjoy it!
Julie took this photo a few days ago near Marquette and writes “The old CR-510 bridge crosses the Dead River west of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula . It was erected in 1921 and carried traffic over the river until 2010 when a new bridge was built. The new bridge stands high above the river and has a spectacular view of the old one. One needs to Google this bridge and read its phenomenal history. (she’s right! I did and it looks like this bridge might have started its bridging in Pennsylvania!!)
The good people of Stupid Lansing remind us that the City Pulse’s Top of the Town contest is a chance for you to cast your vote for your favorite things in Lansing, and to help Big Penny remain the world’s only Award Winning Too Tall Truck Munching Bridge!!! Big Penny is nominated for (at least) these categories:
STUPID Lansing is the Society for Totally Useless Pranks and Immature Dumbassery & from teeth on an inexplicably 12 foot tall bridge to googly eyes on basically everything, STUPID Lansing delivers!
I heard rumors yesterday that were confirmed when I woke up this morning to Andrew’s eye-popping shots of the Gordie Howe International Bridge from Detroit to Canada all lit up! Andrew shares that this isn’t the final stage either. According to the Gordie Howe social media pages – the bridge will have 5,000 aesthetic lights that will illuminate the cables, towers, deck and approaches!! I’ve also got a flyover video from the Gordie Howe International Bridge below.
There are a couple more pics below. Head over to his Facebook page for the latest and check out his website for more about his drone photography services and to view & purchase his work.
Back in May, we introduced you to Big Penny, Lansing’s Truck Munching Bridge & now she’s back to show the Mighty Mac it’s not the only bridge making news. This diminutive 12-foot tall bridge has taken some big bites over the years – so many that as of May 1, 2025 she had snacked on 87 semis since counting began in 2004. Despite the added exposure Penny has been on an absolute tear in 2025, and yesterday our friends at STUPID Lansing threw a party celebrating the 100th truck munched! WLNS Lansing was there to document this historic occasion, and you can head over to STUPID – Lansing for more on this important story & some great Big Penny merch!
An absolutely stunning shot of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge that links to the cities of Houghton & Hancock on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Last week the Gordie Howe International Bridge shared that the Canadian and US flags have found their permanent home at center of the bridge deck, adding “Soon you’ll be able to see the flags for yourself from the multi-use path as you walk or bike across the bridge.” Bike to Canada you say?? Beauty!!
The Gordie Howe Bridge multi-use path will be one lane and will accommodate two-way pedestrian and cyclist traffic. It will be 1.5 miles in length and 11.8 feet wide. The multi-use path will be toll-free & connect to local road and trail networks. In Windsor, there will be connections to the Broadway Street Multi-Path and the Trans Canada Trail. In Detroit, there will be linkages to the Great Lakes Way which provides water & land routes from Lake Erie to Lake Huron and Iron Belle Trail that runs all the way to the far western corner of the Upper Peninsula!
Lots more from Gordie the Bridge! And you can bet I’ll be getting you the info about riding the Bridge just as soon as I have it! More bikes & biking on Michigan in Pictures including (very soon) the scoop on this Iron Belle Bike Trail!
In June 2024 I shared photos of the US & Canadian crews “topping out” the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Topping Out is a special ceremony dating back over a thousand years that symbolizes connection. Ironworkers say the evergreen tree signifies a job well done & believe the custom brings good luck.
I read a news story the other day that says they will soon be testing the bridge lights & thought it would be a good time to check in on this incredible structure Canada is spearheading. The project remains on track for a fall 2025 opening, and when complete the Gordie How Bridge will be the biggest land port of entry between Canada and the U.S. with 130 acres, 11 structures, 16 toll lanes, and 24 primary inspection lanes on the Canadian side and 167 acres, 13 structures, and 36 primary inspection lanes on the US side.
“Unfortunately, what you’re seeing today is not fog surrounding the Mackinac Bridge but smoke coming from the wildfires and our neighbors to the North.” -The Mackinac Bridge on X (which I won’t link to)
Yesterday morning the Mackinac Bridge Cam captured smoke so dense that it looked like the bridge was shrouded in fog! There’s less today but it’s still an astonishing amount of smoke so be sure to keep an eye on your local air quality because as the map shows, it’s not great right now!
Five years ago yesterday, the City of Midland was devastated by the collapse of the Edenville & Sanford dams. If you’re wondering whether or not the State of Michigan taken this tragedy to heart, the answer according to this mLive article appears to be “Nope”:
“Did we really use Midland to do deep learning and then change our regulations and invest in this infrastructure time bomb?” said Bryan Burroughs, executive director of Michigan Trout Unlimited and a member of a former task force that issued a suite of mostly unrealized recommendations on dam safety after Edenville.
“Not dramatically, not significantly.”
…Republicans and Democrats pledged action. Lansing politicians secured large sums to rebuild the mid-Michigan dams, channeled smaller pots of money to other dams and added state inspectors. But corresponding dam safety reforms were introduced and quickly faded away. “We’re still at the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off with dam safety in Michigan,” said Bill Rustem, a former task force member and advisor to Michigan governors William Milliken and Rick Snyder.
Charles shared a ton of photos with us during the Midland Flood of May 2020, so I thought it would be a great time to check back and see how things are looking lately! See more lovely spring pics in Charles’s Dow Gardens gallery on Flickr!
Michigan in Pictures 