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The Mackinac Bridge shut down for several hours Sunday to allow officers to sweep the five-mile long structure for potential explosives. Michigan State Police put out a statement around 2:30 PM asking commuters to steer clear of the area to allow law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation. No bomb or incendiary device was discovered. The actions occurred due to a threat that was called in.
MSP 8th District Public Information Officer Lt. Mark Giannunzio says Mackinaw City Police Department is the lead investigative agency, due to where the threat originated from. It is unclear if law enforcement knows the identity of the person who placed the call. Giannunzio says State Police were in “assist mode.”
The bridge reopened Sunday evening, but it took several hours for the traffic backups to ease in both directions as vacationers passed between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Giannunzio says it was very unfortunate to have the incident happen on a Sunday in July when the Mighty Mac is busy.
He says police have to treat threats seriously, even though they can become an inconvenience. False warnings have happened before, but they are rare, and Giannunzio hopes that this is an isolated situation, not the beginning of a potential copycat scenario.
