ST. IGNACE, Mich. (WLUC) – The 2024 Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day will mean a six-and-a-half hour traffic closure.

“Whether you plan to cross the Mackinac Bridge in your car or RV or participate in the annual Bridge Walk, we want to make sure you have the information you need for a safe and enjoyable Labor Day holiday,” said Kim Nowack, bridge director for the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA).

At the recommendation of the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the bridge will again be closed to public traffic during the 2024 march, from 6:30 a.m. to noon on Labor Day (Sept. 2). While emergency vehicles will still be allowed to cross the bridge, public vehicles will not be allowed until the march is over and participants have left the bridge, the MBA said.

“If you are travelling in the Straits area on Monday, we ask that you plan your travel plans around this planned closure,” Nowack said. “Traffic congestion is frustrating for everyone, so we ask that you either cross the bridge before 6:30 a.m. or plan your journey to arrive at the bridge in the afternoon.”

The 2024 annual Bridge Walk will start in both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, eliminating the need for the bus and providing additional options for participants. For safety reasons and the convenience of participants starting from the St. Ignace side, the walk will start at Bridge View Park on the west side of I-75 rather than at the MBA Administration Building.

Since most participants starting in St. Ignace already park at Bridge View Park, starting the walk from that side will reduce the number of people crossing the interstate before the event begins. Participants parking on the east side of I-75 will now be directed across the road before and after crossing the bridge.

A video on the MBA website at www.MackinacBridge.org/Walk explains the bridge walk schedule and the choice of whether participants start at the north or south end of the bridge. Most participants have said they are happy with the new arrangements and enjoy the variety of participation options.

There are essentially three main options for hikers, which are described in the video:

• Start at either end of the bridge and walk toward the middle, turn around in the middle and return to the town you started from where your transportation is located. Turnaround points will be moved to the ends of the bridge starting at 10:00 a.m., but walkers can walk at least part of the bridge if they start by 11:30 a.m. Hikers must be on the side of the bridge they plan to return to before 10:00 a.m.

• Walk the entire length of the bridge from either end. Those who choose this option must reach the middle before 10:00 am or they will have to turn back. Those who walk the entire bridge will have to arrange their own way back to the starting side once the bridge reopens to public traffic at 12:00 pm.

• Cross the bridge starting at either end and then go around to return to the side you started from. With this option, hikers must cross the middle on their way back by 10:00 am, otherwise they will have to turn around and come back across the bridge themselves after the bridge reopens at 12:00 pm.

Because hikers can start from either end of the bridge upon arrival and there are no buses available for transportation, participants must plan accordingly to ensure they finish their hike on the same side of the bridge as their personal transportation. The MBA does not provide shuttle service after the hike and cannot guarantee that outside shuttle services will be provided.

According to the MBA, individuals who wish to receive text messages about bridge closures, including information about the closures for the annual Bridge Walk, can sign up for updates from Mackinac County 911’s RAVE AlertSystem. There is no cost to receive these updates other than the subscriber’s text messaging fee. To sign up for this text message alert system, text “MacBridge” to 67283.

The annual bridge walk has been held every year since 1958, with the exception of 2020, when the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 walk will be the 66th event. In recent years, between 20,000 and 35,000 people have participated; the 2023 event saw 35,000 participate.

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