The Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk Is Canceled

It has been a tradition in September in Michigan, walking across the Mackinac Bridge. This event has taken place since 1958, but due to the coronavirus, organizers feel it's in the best interest of the public to cancel the event.  That decision to cancel the 63rd annual bridge walk was not one the board made lightly.   Since the event draws people not only from Michigan but all over the world the decision to cancel was based on science and the forecasts from top medical officials.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Mackinac Bridge Authority Chairman Patrick "Shorty" Gleason said,

We can't in good conscience continue with an event we know draws people from across our state and beyond, and puts them shoulder-to-shoulder for hours, when medical advice strenuously advises against such gatherings.

Each year between 25 to 57 thousand people gather to walk or run across the 5 mile suspension bridge that links the upper and lower peninsula over the Straits of Mackinac which is where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet.

Fun fact, the Mackinac Bridge which was constructed in 1957, and the suspension bridge is over 26 thousand feet long, making it the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

I have never made the walk, but my parents and sister did and all of them said it is something everyone should do at least once.  Just not this year.

More information on Bridge Walk cancellation can be found in the Detroit Free Press.