Lake Michigan Carferry (SS Badger) as part of US 10

Started by oscar, September 10, 2018, 09:24:23 PM

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thspfc

From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
via SS Badger: 6 hours
via Lake Express: 4 hours 45 minutes
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
via Southern route: 5 hours 45 minutes

Overall, I would probably choose to go through Chicago since I'm not paying $630 to save one hour.  :confused:


renegade

Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

thspfc

Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:

renegade

Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 04:37:21 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:
There used to be a drawbridge on I-75, but it was a couple hundred miles south, near Saginaw, and it was removed in the mid-1980s, IIRC. 
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 08:00:19 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 04:37:21 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:
There used to be a drawbridge on I-75, but it was a couple hundred miles south, near Saginaw, and it was removed in the mid-1980s, IIRC. 

Wasn't through traffic directed to I-675 (which has a fixed span) during that period for this reason?
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Verlanka

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on March 31, 2019, 08:41:12 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 08:00:19 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 04:37:21 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:
There used to be a drawbridge on I-75, but it was a couple hundred miles south, near Saginaw, and it was removed in the mid-1980s, IIRC. 

Wasn't through traffic directed to I-675 (which has a fixed span) during that period for this reason?

Yes it was, hence why it was built in the first place.

StogieGuy7

Quote from: edwaleni on December 08, 2018, 12:54:53 AM
Lake Michigan has and does freeze over completely at the far south end between Michigan and Illinois.

It doesn't happen very often and the temps have to stay below freezing for an extended period for it occur.

The only exception is in Indiana near the BP refinery and Gary Steel Works where effluent from the Little Calumet River enters the lake well above freezing and so the water stays liquefied.

However there is a part of Lake Michigan between Michigan and Wisconsin that will never freeze simply because the water is just too deep and turns over frequently which inhibits it from icing up.

Anyone who has scuba dived at the southern end knows that it is relatively shallow there. In fact there is an area of petrified tree stumps on the lake bottom that date back to a pre-glacial forest.

This relative shallowness and lack of turnover is why it tends to freeze over and when it does it can be very solid.

No matter how cold it gets, attempting to drive across Lake Michigan would be a very dangerous (and foolish) undertaking.  For one thing, the ice thickness can vary radically as you travel across the lake. You get thin spots and you get large patches that never freeze.  And then there are the compression ridges that will block your path entirely.  As fun of an idea as this sounds, there's a reason why it isn't done.

Flint1979

Lake Michigan isn't between any state, it's in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana it's not in between them. The borders for each of these states is in the middle of Lake Michigan.

Flint1979

Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 08:00:19 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 04:37:21 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:
There used to be a drawbridge on I-75, but it was a couple hundred miles south, near Saginaw, and it was removed in the mid-1980s, IIRC.
That's in my hometown and I pretty much watched the new bridge being built. They had a construction accident on the new bridge where they had to get a new crew to come in and finish the bridge. The opening was delayed by a few years. It opened in 1988 though. The old bridge was a drawbridge that opened frequently since they were still using the Saginaw River south of there but now they aren't using it south of the bridge anymore so the bridge wouldn't be opened as much today. The old drawbridge would have been between MM 153 and 154.

Flint1979

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on March 31, 2019, 08:41:12 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 08:00:19 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 04:37:21 PM
Quote from: renegade on March 31, 2019, 02:08:34 PM
Quote from: thspfc on March 31, 2019, 11:04:44 AM
From where I live to Ludington, this is how long each route would take:
...
via Mackinac Bridge: 9 hours 30 minutes, depending on if the bridge is raised or not
... :confused:
You are confused.  The Mackinac Bridge is a fixed suspension bridge.  It cannot be raised, and is not likely to be the cause of any delay except in case of inclement weather.  For more information:  https://www.mackinacbridge.org
I didn't know that. I just remember a long traffic jam at the bridge several years ago, so I associated that with it being a drawbridge, I guess.  :pan:
There used to be a drawbridge on I-75, but it was a couple hundred miles south, near Saginaw, and it was removed in the mid-1980s, IIRC. 

Wasn't through traffic directed to I-675 (which has a fixed span) during that period for this reason?
That's one of the reasons that I-675 was built was to bypass the drawbridge, the other reason was to allow easier access to downtown Saginaw. I-675 crosses the Saginaw River on a fixed span. All the bridges in Saginaw are fixed spans but all the bridges in Bay City are drawbridges. I-675 was used about 10 years ago for awhile for through traffic on I-75 while they maintained the Zilwaukee Bridge (which is the replacement for the drawbridge).

JREwing78

Holding company buys Lake Michigan car ferry SS Badger
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2020/12/ss-badger-car-ferry-under-new-ownership-but-mission-remains-the-same.html

No word on whether a conversion to diesel power is in the cards, but from the article it sounds like the intent is to continue operation of the SS Badger.

The Ghostbuster

Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 02, 2021, 07:40:54 PM
Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

I thought it had it on the awnings on deck. Wisconsin actually has a US 10 East shield on the ramp leading into the water, though I think Michigan signs it as US 10 ENDS.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

The Ghostbuster

I wasn't aware of that. The last time I sailed on an SS Badger ship was in 1992, when I was only 7 years old.

hbelkins

Guess I need to check with my cousin (his father and my father were first cousins, so I'm not sure if that makes us second cousins or first cousins once removed) who's the captain of the Badger to see if his employment will be impacted.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Flint1979

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on January 02, 2021, 07:41:56 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 02, 2021, 07:40:54 PM
Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

I thought it had it on the awnings on deck. Wisconsin actually has a US 10 East shield on the ramp leading into the water, though I think Michigan signs it as US 10 ENDS.
That is indeed how Michigan signs it. Not sure about the Wisconsin side though.

oscar

#66
^ See my photos in the first post of this topic.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Mapmikey

Quote from: hbelkins on January 02, 2021, 10:55:40 PM
Guess I need to check with my cousin (his father and my father were first cousins, so I'm not sure if that makes us second cousins or first cousins once removed) who's the captain of the Badger to see if his employment will be impacted.

This should make you 2nd cousin - you share the same great-grandparents.  You and your father's cousin are first cousin, once removed.

jzn110

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on January 02, 2021, 07:41:56 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 02, 2021, 07:40:54 PM
Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

I thought it had it on the awnings on deck. Wisconsin actually has a US 10 East shield on the ramp leading into the water, though I think Michigan signs it as US 10 ENDS.

They actually have a large US-10 shield painted on the seagate on the stern of the ship, next to its name and hailing port.

SSOWorld

Quote from: jzn110 on February 13, 2021, 12:26:48 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on January 02, 2021, 07:41:56 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 02, 2021, 07:40:54 PM
Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

I thought it had it on the awnings on deck. Wisconsin actually has a US 10 East shield on the ramp leading into the water, though I think Michigan signs it as US 10 ENDS.

They actually have a large US-10 shield painted on the seagate on the stern of the ship, next to its name and hailing port.
Michigan has no signage of an end of US 10 at Ludington
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

tdindy88

Quote from: SSOWorld on February 13, 2021, 09:59:13 AM
Quote from: jzn110 on February 13, 2021, 12:26:48 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on January 02, 2021, 07:41:56 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 02, 2021, 07:40:54 PM
Maybe the SS Badger ships should have US 10 signs painted on their hulls, as a way of paying homage to what route the ships are carrying across Lake Michigan.

I thought it had it on the awnings on deck. Wisconsin actually has a US 10 East shield on the ramp leading into the water, though I think Michigan signs it as US 10 ENDS.

They actually have a large US-10 shield painted on the seagate on the stern of the ship, next to its name and hailing port.
Michigan has no signage of an end of US 10 at Ludington

Actually it does.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.9486922,-86.4477621,3a,75y,203.42h,78.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGhCR-pyWwx6zdM6l6CEDZQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

NWI_Irish96

So our family is going to Milwaukee on the 24th to see the White Sox play the Brewers. I've always wanted to do the ferry and thought this would be a good time to do it. Instead of driving back home on the 25th, we'll go up the coast to Manitowoc and ferry across to Ludington. Hotel for the night of the 25th is in Muskegon, as I'm a Marriott platinum member and there are no Marriott properties in Ludington. Total cost was $300.50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

The family also may indulge me in a bit of highway clinching in IL, WI, and MI as part of the trip.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

SEWIGuy

Quote from: cabiness42 on July 13, 2021, 01:43:01 PM
So our family is going to Milwaukee on the 24th to see the White Sox play the Brewers. I've always wanted to do the ferry and thought this would be a good time to do it. Instead of driving back home on the 25th, we'll go up the coast to Manitowoc and ferry across to Ludington. Hotel for the night of the 25th is in Muskegon, as I'm a Marriott platinum member and there are no Marriott properties in Ludington. Total cost was $300.50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

The family also may indulge me in a bit of highway clinching in IL, WI, and MI as part of the trip.


I will be at the game that night as well.  Assuming you are a White Sox fan, I hope that is the lowlight of your trip.   :-D

hbelkins

Quote from: cabiness42 on July 13, 2021, 01:43:01 PM
Total cost was $300.50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

For the game tickets, the lodging, or the ferry? Or for all three?


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: hbelkins on July 13, 2021, 02:54:27 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on July 13, 2021, 01:43:01 PM
Total cost was $300.50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

For the game tickets, the lodging, or the ferry? Or for all three?

That cost was for the ferry, car +2 adults +2 kids.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%



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