ST. IGNACE, MI— The Mackinac Bridge Authority is urging the Senate to pass a bill that would make trespassing on the state’s major bridges a felony.
The legislation passed the House in February and was set for a vote in the Senate last week but was pulled from the agenda. The Authority says trespassers endanger motorists and workers who investigate the incidents.
At the same time, the Senate is considering bills the Mackinac Bridge Authority says would threaten the safety of motorists. They would expand the types of motorized vehicles that can cross the bridge to include non-trailered farm equipment that’s currently only allowed on Michigan’s back roads.
The Authority says the bills—one sponsored by Senator Ed McBroom—are in response to a farmer who wants to drive a manure spreader across the Mighty Mac without using a trailer. Bridge officials say they have no evidence of the kind of demand that would warrant such a change in the law.
