- The Pennsylvania Avenue bridge also known as Big Penny turned 96 over the weekend
- The 12-foot bridge has clashed with numerous trucks and the incidents have become a beloved joke in the Lansing community
- In the attached story, I spoke with artist Ryan Holmes who turned the joke into art.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
For 96 years "Big Penny" has brought many tears to truck drivers and what started as a punchline for many has become a big topic of conversation amongst officials in the city of Lansing
"I was originally introduced to it in my younger days coming to the Potter Park Zoo," said Ryan Holmes.
Standing tall but not tall enough in Lansing since 1928...The Pennsylvania Avenue bridge has gained quite a reputation for claiming the roofs of semi-trucks
"I've seen black and white pictures now showing that this an ongoing thing for a while." Ryan said.
Many laughs have come from the 12-foot bridge battles with trucks.
"The bridge is so strong you know it's stronger than my relationship" Ryan joked.
And for Ryan Holmes, those same laughs have turned into art.
"It brings people together, it makes people laugh which is very much my brand I went from that to creating this sticker," he said.
The sticker depicts a warning sign for drivers, But there are still some who fail to take notice and it's caused some major issues.
"It's certainly not funny when a truck hits it and there are things falling."
Mayor Andy Schor said.
Mayor Schor says the number of incidents is going up and this sign placed by community members says there have been 16 incidents with the bridge in just this year alone.
Officials say conversations about a solution to this issue have been had.
"New lighting, led lighting, perhaps a siren of some kind because people apparently aren't seeing the flashing orange lights and the warning signal," said Ryan Kost, Lansing city council member.
But they also say there's not much more that can be done from a construction point of view since it is a railroad bridge, so it's ultimately up to drivers to pay attention... Something Holmes hopes he can do, one piece of art at a time.
"It has shown the unification of our strength as a city that's really cool so to create art around that and keep that vibe going is really fun," Holmes said
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