Mackinac Bridge Walk
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Image:2004 Mackinac Bridge Walk.jpg
The Mackinac Bridge Walk is an annual event held every Labor Day since 1958 in Michigan in which people may walk the length of the Mackinac Bridge. Walkers are traditionally led across by the governor of Michigan, currently Jennifer M. Granholm. In an average year, 50,000 to 65,000 people participate in the five-mile walk. This is more than the combined population of the two counties connected by the bridge.
While pedestrians are normally prohibited on the bridge, the Labor Day bridge walk is the sole exception to the rule. The northbound lanes on the bridge are reserved for pedestrians—although the walkers head south—with the southbound side carrying two-way vehicular traffic. Walkers begin on the St. Ignace side of the bridge in the Upper Peninsula and proceed southerly to Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula. Upon reaching Mackinaw City, walkers are awarded numbered "Certificates of Completion". Local area school buses are used to shuttle walkers who park their cars in the Lower Peninsula to the start of the walk and to shuttle walkers who park in the Upper Peninsula back to their cars after completing the walk.
Walkers occupy both northbound traffic lanes until 9:30 a.m. when pedestrians are narrowed into just one of the northbound lanes with the other opened to northbound vehicular traffic. Both southbound lanes are then given over to southbound traffic, which is heaviest on Labor Day. No one is allowed to start after 11:00 a.m.
[edit] History
The walk was started and took place in the early morning hours of Labor Day 1958. That first year only 68 people walked across the bridge.
In the early 1960s, the walk was less popular and often caused traffic jams. To raise awareness, organizers began having the governor kick off the walk, causing an increase in participation.
Since 1958, the walk has been held every year on Labor Day. Attendance has since continued to slowly rise until it reached an average of 50,000 walkers.
The population of walkers also increased some years since the walk has sometimes been used as a political event for governor or presidential elections.
[edit] Presidential campaign
During the 1992 election campaign, President George H.W. Bush led the bridge walk in an attempt to win over Michigan voters for his re-election. Participation in this bridge walk was estimated at 85,000 walkers, which is the Mackinac Bridge Walk record.
Even though the record was broken during the walk, George H.W. Bush did not win the state; it went to Bill Clinton.
