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Mackinac Bridge Making Security Plans For Labor Day Walk

Mackinac Bridge
Melissa Benmark
/
WKAR-MSU
The Mackinac Bridge will close for a short time on Labor Day due to safety concerns.

The operators of the Mackinac Bridge are warning there could be big traffic backups the morning of Labor Day.

The bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic for about five and a half hours during the annual Labor Day bridge walk. That’s because of security concerns. The decision was made after terrorists drove cars and trucks into crowds in London, Stockholm, and Paris.

Bill Gnodtke chairs the Mackinac Bridge Authority. He says it’s become harder to guarantee safety where large crowds gather.

“So, we’re all working as hard and diligently as we can,” says Gnodtke.

The plans include adding roadside porta-johns and water stations. Only emergency vehicles and busses ferrying bridge walkers will be allowed to operate on the bridge during the event. Busses will also be parked along one side of the suspension bridge as a counterweight to the crowd walking on the other side.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
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