15 Fun Facts About the Mackinac Bridge Walk

Aug. 27, 2015

With Labor Day weekend and the yearly Mackinac Bridge Walk just around the corner, we sat down with bridge walk coordinator John Rintamaki to dig into some of the more interesting (and some little known) facts about this ever-popular tradition.

Time in a Bottle

The Mackinac Bridge opened to traffic on Friday, Nov. 1, 1957. On that day in history, country singer Lyle Lovett was born, Elvis Presley’s "Jailhouse Rock" was No. 1 on the charts, and the U.S. president was Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Gooooo, Albie!

The first car to officially cross the brand new Mackinac Bridge was a 1951 Chevrolet Styleine Deluxe, complete with cloth bench seats and chrome and stainless trim, driven by Albert Carter.

You say potato, I say potahto"¦

Mackinac Island was considered shaped like a turtle, so it was given the early Native American name Michilimackinac (Great Turtle), a moniker that eventually came to represent the entire Straits of Mackinac region. By the early 1800s, it was shortened to Mackinac. The island, straits and the bridge kept the "ac," while the city adopted the "aw" spelling. No matter how you see it spelled, it’s always pronounced Mack-in-aw, not Mackuh-knack.

Is this the bridge walk or a Justin Bieber concert?

The walk officially begins at 7am, but some people actually arrive days earlier to stay overnight in Mackinaw City, showing up at the bridge as early as 4am the day of the walk. "That hasn’t happened in a couple of years," Rintamaki laughed, "but people are often lined up waiting before the sun’s up." No one is allowed to start walking after 11am, to ensure that everyone gets across in a timely fashion.

Like salmon swimming upstream

Although the direction of the walk was south to north in the event’s early years (from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace), the walk is now always from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula.

Step right up for the big holiday sale!

Under normal circumstances, driving your car across the bridge costs $4 and there is a fee-based transport system for other travelers who aren’t allowed to cross on their own, such as pedestrians, cyclists and snowmobilers. Your cost for walking across on Labor Day weekend? Absolutely free – but, you still have to pay if you’re driving across on the other side of the bridge.

"He's going the distance/he's going for speed"¦" – Cake

Walking the bridge means you’ll be walking a distance of 26,372 feet (8,038 meters). "It’s recommended that you allow two hours to walk the bridge, but for most people it takes about an hour and a half," Rintamaki said.

Don't keep me in suspense

While the total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles, it ranks as the 16th longest suspension bridge in the world, with its main suspended span running 3,800 feet (.72 miles). The longest is the Akashi Kaiky Bridge in Japan; its main span runs 6,532 feet (1.2 miles).

"I'm walkin' here!" – Ratzo Rizzo, Midnight Cowboy

Don’t attempt to hoof it across on your own at any other time; the Labor Day bridge walk is an exception to the longstanding rule prohibiting pedestrians on the bridge. Other exemptions are two running races: the Mackinaw Memorial Bridge Run (Memorial Day weekend) and the Fall Colors Bridge Run in October.

Paint me a masterpiece"¦

Hope you appreciate that view of the bridge’s nice crisp green and white paint job because the bridge has to be repainted regularly and, once it’s completely painted, the whole process starts all over again. The current painting session runs 2014–2017. Dirty Jobs TV host Mike Rowe tried his hand at painting the bridge several years ago on an episode of the show.

In sickness and in health, aching feet or sunburn"¦

There really are people who request to get married during the bridge walk. Yes, during it. "Not a ton, but yes, generally we get at least a couple every year," Rintamaki confirmed. While getting married on the bridge is actually possible, don’t expect the Mackinac Bridge Authority to help in any way. "We definitely don’t encourage it, due to safety concerns," Rintamaki said.

"Baby you'll be famous/pa-pa, paparazzi" – Lady Gaga

While most major celebrities except for Ronald McDonald have steered clear of the bridge walk so far (one guess as to why: crowd control, perhaps?), Michigan’s governor makes the trek every year, and has done so since the bridge walk started. President George H.W. Bush led the bridge walk in 1992. "That year set a bridge walk record at 85,000 walkers," Rintamaki said.

Can I hire an android to walk the bridge for me?

In 2014, the first robot walked the bridge alongside Governor Rick Snyder. The Pi Guy was a robot specially constructed for the occasion by the FIRST Robotics Team from Macomb International Academy in Armada, Michigan. Pi’s top speed capability was 10 mph, but he was controlled via computer to match Snyder’s walking speed, which was quite a bit slower. He also wore a neon green T-shirt to match the governor’s.

Smile, you're on candid camera

Well, you’re probably about the size of an ant, but there are several live feeds of the Mackinac Bridge online (see mackinacbridge.org) that showcase the bridge day and night.

I walked the Mackinac Bridge and all I got was"¦

There are no standard awards or prizes handed out for walking the bridge, but upon reaching Mackinaw City, walkers are given a numbered Certificate of Completion, perfect for framing and hanging next to your college diploma. And you’ll get bragging rights, for sure.

The 58th Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk will take place Monday, Sept. 7, starting at 7am. For more information, visit mackinacbridge.org.