Big Penny needs your vote … and also for you to remember she’s only 12 feet tall!

Posted on by farlane
Back to School with Big Penny by Stupid Lansing

Back to School with Big Penny by Stupid Lansing

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:

  • Best Public Art/Sculpture
  • Best Place to Cry in Public
  • Best Historical Place
  • Best Facebook Group or Page

Click to vote & while you’re there, consider casting a vote for the Lansing Guerilla Gardeners as well!

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!

More about Big Penny on Michigan in Pictures.

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Gordie Howe International Bridge lights the night!

Posted on by farlane
Gordie Howe International Bridge lights the night! by Andrew Dean Aerial Photography

Gordie Howe International Bridge lights the night! by Andrew Dean Aerial Photography

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.

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Big Penny celebrates munching her 100th truck!

Posted on by farlane
Number 98 by STUPID - Lansing

Number 98 by STUPID – Lansing

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!

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Dawn Amidst the Fog

Posted on by farlane
Dawn Amidst the Fog by Eric Hackney

Dawn Amidst the Fog by Eric Hackney

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.

See more in his Landmarks & Landscapes gallery on Flickr and for sure view & purchase his work at erichackneyphotography.com.

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Bridging the Gap between US & Canada … with Bikes!!

Posted on by farlane
Canadian & US Flags on Gordie Howe International Bridge

Canadian & US Flags on Gordie Howe International Bridge

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!

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Gordie Howe Bridge almost complete!

Posted on by farlane
Gordie Howe International Bridge June 2025

Gordie Howe International Bridge June 2025

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.

The pics below (except the first two) are from June 2025. Lots more on the Gordie Howe Bridge website!

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Canada brings the smoke to Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Canadian Wildfire Smoke by Mackinac Bridge Authority

Canadian Wildfire Smoke by Mackinac Bridge Authority

“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!

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Looking back on the Midland flood of 2020

Posted on by farlane

Swinging the Arch into Position by Charles Bonham

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.

Lots more in mLive & also check out the latest in the case of Midland residents & businesses vs the State of Michigan in the Detroit News.

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!

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Big Penny: Lansing’s 12′ Truck Munching Bridge

Posted on by farlane

UPDATE AUG 28, 2025: Big Penny celebrates munching her 100th truck!

Big Penny Scoreboard by Stupid Lansing

Big Penny Scoreboard by Stupid Lansing

The other day, the hardworking team at Stupid Lansing alerted me to the existence of Big Penny, Lansing’s Truck-munching bridge! mLive shares that the bridge was completed in the summer of 1928 by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, spanning Pennsylvania Avenue (thus the name Big Penny) near the Potter Park Zoo. Read on for more about the bridge & to learn about how the Stupid Lansing team gave Big Penny its new fangs & eyes!

The 12′ 0″ bridge has now snacked upon 87 semis since counting began in 2004, and 8 so far this year! Will it surpass the 29 trucks munched of 2024? Stay tuned to Stupid Lansing for updates!!

The last three pics are from the Big Penny Google Maps Listing by RJ Cormack.

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Meeting in the Middle on the Gordie Howe Bridge

Posted on by farlane
Connection of the Gordie Howe Bridge by Joe Decenso

Connection of the Gordie Howe Bridge by Joe Decenso

One year ago today, I shared Joe’s photo of them laying the last girder on the Gordie Howe’s Bridge. With over 3,000,000 views on Facebook & Michigan in Pictures was the most popular post ever so I figured I would return with his shot of the crews meeting in the middle of this Canadian-funded bridge from Canada to the US.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge Authority has confirmed a September 2025 opening date, and you can head over to their website for lots more info & updates.

You can see lots more from Joe on his Instagram and for sure view & purchase his photos on his website!

Gordie Howe’s Last Girder by Joe Decenso

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