MACKINAW CITY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced that a new device will unfurl a 30-foot by 60-foot American flag from the north tower of the Mackinac Bridge.
According to an official press release, the device will allow the flag to be lowered by only one person, a feat which previously required a team of about a dozen workers. Hanging the flag required stopping traffic as it was hoisted beneath the tower. Removing it each time took about the same time and effort, also delaying traffic during the process.
The device was designed and built by Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) staff, plus help from an outside source.
MBA master machinist Bill Fitzpatrick says that there were many challenges in creating the device.
“It seemed like it was never going to happen; it was one hurdle after another,” Fitzpatrick said. “That happened a number of times along the way, so when (finishing the device) finally did happen it was almost unbelievable.”
Staff members of the MBA are pleased with the results.
“When it came down and everything went successfully and as according to plan, I couldn’t have been happier,” MBA Maintenance Supervisor Ned McLennan said. “I think Bill and I were on cloud nine that day.”
Although the flag device was designed by MBA staff, McLennan’s mother, Patti O’Brien, who is also a seamstress, was called in to reinforce the flag against the Mackinac Straits winds.
“I think I jumped around a little bit when he called and asked, and I said, ‘Well, yeah, I would love that,”’ O’Brien said. “It’s such an honor to be part of this. I really am impressed with the work that was done in this project and feel that it’s very special.”
The flag was purchased in 2016 and first flown from the bridge’s south tower on Memorial Day 2017. The flag is displayed on six holidays each year: Memorial Day, Flag Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Patriots Day, and Veterans Day.
The device, roughly 36 feet long and 5 feet in diameter, also stores the flag and protects it from the elements when not in use. Crews worked on the device sporadically over the past two years, fitting it in between the year-round maintenance of the bridge.
MBA staff also painted the device to match the ivory of the bridge towers. Installation on the tower took several days of calm weather to complete, and it was first used on July 4, 2019.
The flag device will be used next on Veterans Day.
A full video explaining the new device can be viewed online here.
