MACKINAW CITY, Mich. – The Mackinac Bridge Authority says that about 25,000 people walked the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day and while major backups were averted, many were turned away.
The MBA says that they had 127 buses shuttling walkers from one end of the bridge to the other, compared with 88 last year. The turn-around time for those buses was 20 minutes, compared with 45 minutes in past years, mostly due to the bridge being completely closed to traffic this time around.
However, to reopen the bridge at noon, walkers needed to be on a shuttle bus by 10:00 a.m., to be at the starting line by 10:30 a.m. So, that meant that many people who arrived in Mackinaw City after 10:00 a.m. were not allowed to walk. This was the first time with a firm scheduled end to the walk.
“Due to the closure of the bridge to most public traffic, we needed to shorten the window of opportunity for people to start the walk. Unfortunately, even with additional buses and quicker turnaround time for shuttle trips, some people were still unable to participate,” said MBA Executive Secretary Bob Sweeney in a press release. “Making sure that doesn’t happen again will be a priority for next year. We apologize to anyone who did not get to make their walk as planned.”
Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had advised that the bridge should be closed to public traffic during the walk.
