ST. IGNACE – The annual Mackinac Bridge Walk is back for 2021.
To help people prepare for this year’s event, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) has updated a video explaining the options people have for participating in this beloved event.
Based on the success of the 2018 and 2019 events, the MBA will again start the 2021 Annual Bridge Walk from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, which eliminates the need for busing and offers additional options for participants. The bridge walk was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A video, posted on the MBA website at www.MackinacBridge.org/Walk, explains the bridge walk schedule and the choices people will have whether they start from the north or south end of the bridge.
“Before the walk was cancelled last year, we had two successful years of starting the event from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, which makes us confident in continuing those options in 2021,” said MBA Executive Secretary Kim Nowack. “Overall, the event went so smoothly, and we heard so many supportive comments about the new arrangements.”
Walkers essentially have three main options, outlined in the video:
– Starting from either end of the bridge and walking toward the center, turning around at the midpoint and returning to the city they started from, where their transportation is located. The turnaround points will move toward the ends of the bridge beginning at 10 a.m., but walkers can walk at least a portion of the bridge if they start by 11:30 a.m. Walkers must be on the side of the bridge they wish to return to before 10 a.m.
– Walking the entire length of the bridge starting from either end. Those who choose this option must reach the midpoint before 10 a.m. or they will be turned back. Anyone who walks the entire bridge must arrange their own transportation back to the side they started once the bridge reopens to public traffic at noon.
– Crossing the bridge, starting from either end, and then turning around and walking back to the side they started from. In this option, walkers will need to cross the midpoint on their return trip by 10 a.m. or they will be turned back and need to find their own transportation back across the bridge after it reopens at noon.
As in 2018 and 2019, because walkers can start from either end of the bridge when they arrive, there will be no buses transporting participants across the bridge.
The bridge will again be closed to public traffic during the 2021 walk, from 6:30 a.m. to noon on Labor Day, Sept. 6, based on recommendations from the Michigan State Police and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Emergency vehicles will still be permitted to cross the bridge, but no public vehicles until the walk concludes and participants are off the bridge.
The bridge walk has been an annual event since 1958, with the exception of 2020. The 2021 walk will be the 63rd event. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people have participated in recent years.
