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.”
“This is a tough thing for everyone on the authority to come to grips with.”
“(We’re) trying to handle, very honestly, a very difficult situation. None of us on this authority, none of our staff have been through a situation like this.”
The authority plans to park school busses on one side of the suspension bridge as a balance against the weight of thousands of pedestrians on the other side. The decision to close the bridge to vehicles was made after terrorists used cars and trucks against crowds at events in London and Paris.
