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Mackinac Bridge closed to vehicles for annual walk; Governor Whitmer to lead start in St. Ignace
Summary
The Mackinac Bridge Authority announced that the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk will begin from both St. Ignace and Mackinac City, and the bridge will be closed to public vehicle traffic on the morning of the event.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority announced that the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk will begin from both St. Ignace and Mackinac City, and the bridge will be closed to public vehicle traffic on the morning of the event.
At the recommendation of the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, vehicle traffic will be stopped at 6:30 a.m. Run participants will begin crossing at 6:40 a.m., and Governor Gretchen Whitmer will start the walk in St. Ignace at 7 a.m. Walkers from Mackinac City will begin crossing at that time as well. The Authority said the bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic during the walk since February 2017.
The announcement said the center two lanes will be kept clear for emergency vehicles. Walkers who plan to cross the whole bridge instead of turning back at the midpoint may do so but must cross the midpoint by 10 a.m. or they will be turned back. Participants who walk across and do not return before the midpoint deadline must arrange their own return transportation to the side they started from once the bridge reopens to vehicle traffic.
No shuttle service across the bridge will be available, the Authority said. Another permitted option is to walk across and back before the bridge reopens to vehicles; participants choosing that option must start early and meet the 10 a.m. midpoint deadline on their return crossing or risk being turned back.
Mackinac Bridge staff and the Michigan State Police will begin moving point out toward the ends of the bridge at 10 a.m. The Authority said walkers starting up until 11:30 a.m. will be able to walk a portion of the bridge but will need to quickly walk back off the bridge so it can reopen to traffic promptly at noon.
Organizers encouraged participants to plan accordingly and noted several options are available for walkers, including starting from either end of the bridge and choosing whether to walk to the midpoint and return or to cross the full span and arrange their own return transport.
