Big Changes Planned For 2018 Edition Of Mackinac Bridge Walk

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Big changes are planned for the 2018 edition of the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority voted Friday to have the 5-mile Labor Day walk begin at both ends of the bridge connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. Participants can turn around after 2½ miles — eliminating the need for buses to take people back across.

Those who want to walk the entire span can still do it, but they'll have to walk back -- making it a ten mile walk.

People will be able to start anytime between 7 a.m. and noon.

Board member Matthew McLogan, who voted in favor of starting the walk from both ends of the bridge, said that while it is a significant change, it allows continuation of an important tradition.

"This is probably the only viable option to preserve the walk," McLogan said in a statement. "The only other realistic option is not to do it."

The bridge was closed to most vehicles during last year's walk. Only about 25,000 people participated. Many were turned away because they couldn't get in position before the walk ended and buses weren't able to keep up with the crowds.

MBA Board Chairman William Gnodtke, who cast one of the "nay" votes in the 4-2 decision, said there's no guarantee the 60-year tradition will continue in the future. He said the mission of the MBA is to maintain and preserve the bridge, not provide the Annual Bridge Walk.

"The cost far outweighs, as it applies to the Mackinac Bridge Authority, the benefit," he said.

The board had also considered two other options for the walk: one starting the walk in St. Ignace as has been done since 1965, and the other starting in Mackinaw City and ending in St. Ignace. Both of those options would have required the continued busing of participants to the starting line before or after the walk, which has been a significant expense for the event.

MBA staff expect the selected option for the walk will cost the Authority $360,000 in 2018, primarily in staff time. The second option, walking north to south, would cost an estimated $560,000, while the option of switching the walk direction would cost an estimated $840,000.

Every year, between 25,000 and 60,000 people from several states and countries come to the Mackinac Bridge for the Annual Bridge Walk, which has taken place since 1958, the year after the bridge opened to traffic. The event is still planned to begin at 6:40 a.m. on Labor Day with the start of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Jog, followed by a greeting from Gov. Rick Snyder at 6:55 a.m. Walkers will begin across the bridge at 7 a.m.

As it was last year, the bridge will remain closed to public traffic during the 2018 walk, at the recommendation of Michigan State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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