Tens of thousands made the 5-mile trek across the "Mighty Mac" on Monday, Sept. 7, completing the 2026 Mackinac Bridge Walk.
The estimated 34,000 who made plans to participate in the event is a slight uptick in attendance for the event compared to 2025, when an estimated 33,000 participated in the annual bridge walk, according to the Mackinac Bridge Authority.
State officials estimate the number of participants each year based on how many certificates are handed out for completing the walk, said James Lake, a Michigan Department of Transportation media relations specialist for the northern lower peninsula.
The bridge walk has been an annual fixture in Michigan each Labor Day since 1958, with one exception in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced
its cancelation.
Authorities closed the Mackinac Bridge around 6:30 a.m. Monday, temporarily shutting off the connection between Michigan's two peninsulas while pedestrians walked across. Participants were able to start on both sides of the bridge, starting the trip in both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula. The bridge reopened to vehicle traffic at noon, according to a news release.
Since 1959, the walk has taken place each year on Labor Day. In 2007, a crowd of about 57,000 participated in the walk, which commemorated the span's 50th anniversary that year.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer led the walk, according to a news release. The walk has historically featured politicians from Michigan and elsewhere. In 1958, then-Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams was part of the first group to complete the annual walk, one of only 58 participants, per the Mackinac Bridge Authority. In 1992, then-President George H.W. Bush participated in the bridge walk as part of his reelection campaign.
The Mackinac Bridge is the the seventh-longest suspension bridge in the world by total suspended length, and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, according to the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Its total length is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge is 8,614 feet, including anchorages, according to the bridge authority.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Officials estimate 34,000 participate in Mackinac Bridge Walk
