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The Mighty Mac: This year's bridge walk and the first one, too

A crowd of people streams in both directions, on opposite sides of the Mackinac Bridge, whose towers loom high overhead.
MDOT
Walkers crossed the Mackinac Bridge in both directions, starting from both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, during the 2022 Labor Day bridge walk. (Photo: MDOT)

Every year on Labor Day, thousands of people walk across the Mackinac Bridge — that iconic span between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

It's a tradition that goes back to the late 1950s, when the bridge first opened.

In this episode, Austin Rowlader calls a bridge walker for a first-hand account, and our colleagues at WCMU give us a good history lesson about the bridge's earliest days.

Reporting for this episode by Austin Rowlader and WCMU's Tina Sawyer.


Producer: Austin Rowlader
Editor: Steve Junker
Host: Ed Ronco
Music: Blue Dot Sessions