(WXYZ) — The 2019 Mackinac Bridge Walk is coming up and the annual Labor Day event will close the bridge from 6:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. based on recommendations from Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As it was last year, there will be no bus transportation across the bridge, and those who decided to walk the entire bridge will need to arrange their own transportation back to the end fo the bridge where they started, after the bridge reopens.
“Despite initial concerns people expressed about the big changes prior to the walk last year, after the event we heard so many supportive comments about the new arrangements,” said Kim Nowack, interim executive secretary of the MBA. “Overall the event went so smoothly that it made sense to continue those changes for this year’s walk.”
Walkers essentially have three options for the walk
– Starting from either end of the bridge and walking toward the middle, turning around at the middle and returning to the city where they started from. Beginning at 10 a.m., the turnaround points will move towards the ends of the bridge, but walkers can walk at least a portion if they start at 11:30 a.m.
– Walking the entire length of the bridge, starting from either end. Those who choose to do this must reach the midpoint by 10 a.m. or they will be turned back. If you walk the entire bridge, you must arrange your own transportation.
– Cross the entire bridge, and then turning around and walking back to the side they started on. If this happens, walkers will need to cross the midpoint on the return trip by 10 a.m. or they will be turned back and need to find their own transportation after it reopens. That means a 10-mile round trip walk.
There is limited parking west of the Mackinac Bridge Authority plaza area, and free parking and shuttles will be provided by the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce and St. Igance Visitor's Bureau at Little Bear East Arena.
Baby strollers and wheelchairs are allowed on the bridge during the walk. Prohibited items include signs, banners, umbrellas, bicycles, roller skates, skateboards, wagons and similar types of devices. With the sole exception of working service dogs, no animals are allowed.
People who walk the bridge will receive a numbered certificate at the end of the walk, and they will be distributed at both ends.
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