Ever Wonder Why There Isn’t A Bridge Across Lake Michigan? Here’s Why

Over the last couple of days, social media users in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and even Minnesota have been intensely trying to figure out why there was never a bridge built over Lake Michigan. What I can say is, they do have a point when it comes to traveling between the states. Imagine a world where we wouldn't have to go all the way around Lake Michigan to reach other states but instead could just cut across.

Firstly, I think that the time it would take to travel to Milwaukee, Green Bay, and even Chicago drastically changes if a bridge were to be built across Lake Michigan, which in turn would make those cities happy as they would be able to reach cities like Grand Rapids and Detroit must faster as well. Although this is a great idea, realistically we may never see a bridge connecting the states separated by Lake Michigan for multiple reasons.

Before we get into the bridge talk, I do want to say that there are multiple ferries that travel across Lake Michigan but that does mean someone would need to figure out their own travel upon reaching the other shore. There are a few car ferries that will take yourself, a group of people, and a vehicle across the lake for varying fees. All of that was said to say that cutting some time and stress from your travels to other side of Lake Michigan is possible with a few hurdles.

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Nonetheless, the topic at hand, the fact that we may never see a bridge across Lake Michigan that connects the Mitten state to Illinois and Wisconsin. As of right now, the idea of building a bridge across Lake Michigan has been discussed multiple times but the needle has never been able to move due to many factors.

Although the bridge would bring about positive attributes like economic growth and improved connectivity there are plenty of cons to note as well. The toughest challenges to a bridge being built over Lake Michigan are the powerful currents, the harsh weather, the depth of the lake, and the possible impact the bridge could have on the lake's overall ecosystem.