Mackinac Bridge Authority pushes to make trespassing on bridge a felony
Michigan woman competing in national stone skipping tournament on Mackinac Island
The Fourth of July often comes with grilling, laying by the lake, and basking in red, white, and blue. But for Julie Benda, it's an opportunity to hone her professional skill as stone skipper when she takes her talents to 2022 Stone Skipping tournament.
ST. IGNACE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The penalty awaiting anyone who trespasses on the Mackinac Bridge is a fine worth hundreds of dollars and potential jail time. Officials would like to see the punishment awaiting any trespassers raised to a felony.
"Trespassing on the areas closed to the public - the towers, the cables, and the structure beneath the bridge deck - presents a security risk to our employees and travelers, and this bill will help deter anyone who would introduce that danger," said Mackinac Bridge Authority Chairman Patrick Gleason over the summer.
Currently, trespassing on the Mackinac Bridge comes with a $250 fine and potentially 30 days in jail, according to the Michigan penal code. But under a resolution pushing for harsher punishments, the MBA wants the legislature to make it a felony to trespass on the bridge.
It would come with a $2,500 fine and up to four years in prison.
In order to make it a felony, the Michigan legislature would need to designate the Mackinac Bridge a "key facility." Currently, the facilities that carry that classification are chemical facilities, refineries, electric utilities, water treatment facilities, and other manufacturing and hazardous waste buildings. Bridges are not part of that designation - something the MBA wants to change.
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Under HB 5315, several bridges would be added to the law, including the Zilwaukee Bridge, Rouge River Bridge, the MacArthur Bridge and any international crossings like the Blue Water Bridge and the Ambassador Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge (Photo by Amber Ainsworth/FOX 2)
The Michigan House approved the bill 99-6 in February. It's since cleared the transportation and infrastructure committee in the state Senate.