'Little Mac' bridge temporarily closes Up North near North Country Trail

Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
A photo provided by USDA Forest Service shows the 246-foot-long Manistee River Suspension Bridge, known locally as the "Little Mac."
A photo provided by USDA Forest Service shows the 246-foot-long Manistee River Suspension Bridge, known locally as the "Little Mac."

A bridge locally known as the “Little Mac” on a northern Michigan trail system will be closed for the next six weeks for maintenance.

The 246-foot-long Manistee River Suspension Bridge, which connects a local trail to the interstate North Country Trail in the Huron-Manistee National Forests, will be closed from Monday, Sept. 30 to Nov. 11 for preventative work, according to a news release from the forest service.

The pedestrian bridge, boasted as Lower Michigan's largest wooden suspension bridge, is a little over 30 miles east of Manistee and south of Traverse City. It completes a more than 20-mile loop, including the Manistee River Trail and a portion of the 4,800-mile North Country Trail, the longest National Scenic Trail in the country.

The bridge also hasn’t had serious work done in a long time, said Forest Service Civil Engineer Jon Meeks in the news release.

“The Manistee River Suspension Bridge is the most technical bridge on the Forests,” said Meeks. “Since built in 1996, no major structural work (was) done. This closure is crucial to maintaining the bridge in good repair.”

The effort will include new galvanized hardware, decking, railing, curbing, galvanized paint, and needle beams, which support the bridge, according to the service.

The North County Trail, which is north of the bridge, will still be open and the Manistee River Trail can still be used south of the bridge, but there is no alternative to get across the river to reach the North Country Trail at that point.

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The bridge is just downstream of Hodenpyl Dam, and the river’s current and depth make wading or swimming across unsafe, the service reported.

It’s a temporary inconvenience expected to maintain the bridge long term, according to the service. Visitor use and weather also played a part in the scheduling.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Little Mac' bridge temporarily closes near North Country Trail