Take a Labour Day stroll on the Mackinac Bridge

The annual Mackinac Bridge walk returns this weekend.

With final preparations underway, the walk is slated for Labour Day.

The bridge will be closed to public traffic between 6:30 a.m. and noon on Labour Day (Sept. 2) based on recommendations from the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Emergency vehicles will be permitted to cross the bridge, but no public vehicles will be allowed until the walk is complete and all participants are off the bridge.

"If you're traveling in the Straits area Monday, we urge you to make your plans around this scheduled closure," Mackinac Bridge Authority Director Kim Nowack said. "Traffic backups are frustrating for everyone, so we ask that you either cross the bridge prior to 6:30 a.m. or time your trip to arrive at the bridge after noon."              

The 2024 walk will start from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, eliminating the need for busing and offering additional options for participants. For the safety and convenience of participants starting from St. Ignace, the walk will begin from Bridge View Park on the west side of I-75 rather than at the MBA administration building.

Participants who park on the east side of I-75 will be guided across the road before and after walking the bridge.

A video on the MBA website explains the bridge walk schedule and choices people will have whether they start from the north or south ends of the bridge.

Walkers have three main options:

• Starting from either end of the bridge and walking toward the centre, 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 from 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.

Participants must plan accordingly to ensure they end their walk on the same side of the bridge as their transportation. The MBA does not provide any shuttle service after the walk and cannot guarantee outside shuttle services will be offered.