FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 07/17/2018 Contact: Capt. Troy Kelsay, Iowa City Police Department
Phone: 319-356-5440
Road closures and public parking for Iowa City RAGBRAI
Help safely welcome thousands of riders and visitors from across the country when RAGBRAI stays overnight in Iowa City on Friday, July 27, 2018.
Cyclists will be enjoying all parts of the City and University of Iowa campus, so caution is urged when driving near the route and in the Downtown area. Plan your commute and travel accordingly. Expect delays due to street closures, and heavy cyclist and pedestrian traffic.
Timing
Be cautious and on the lookout for bicyclists while commuting to and from work as riders make their way into Iowa City and through the Downtown area, starting early Friday morning. Riders may begin arriving as early at 8 a.m., with the majority arriving between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Support vehicles will begin arriving as early as 5 a.m.
Ride Route
Motor vehicle drivers are asked to avoid the ride route. Some areas will be completely closed, and other portions will intermittently close throughout the day. Entering and crossing roads along the route will be difficult.
Iowa City RAGBRAI route:
South Sand Road/Gilbert Street
South Gilbert Street north to Market Street
Market Street* west to Madison Street
Madison Street south to Iowa Avenue
Iowa Avenue west to Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive north to Park Road and the main entrance to campgrounds in City Park
*The route in and out of Iowa City is nearly identical. The only difference is that riders will enter using Market Street on Friday, and exit using Jefferson Street on Saturday. View the route map.
Route Street Closures
Gilbert
Street from Highway 6 to Burlington; expect closures with the flow of bikes
Gilbert
Street from Burlington to Market Street; closed
Gilbert
Street from Jefferson to Highway 6; closed to southbound traffic on
Saturday only
300 block of
E. Market Street between Gilbert and Linn; closed to traffic
Iowa Avenue westbound will be reduced to one lane between Madison and Riverside Drive, open to passenger vehicles no large trucks.
Riverside
Drive from Highway 6 to River Street; closed to northbound traffic
Note: several large
charter groups will host thousands of cyclists in the Mercer Park
area. To access the camp space, riders will travel Highland Avenue
to Lower Muscatine Road to Mall Drive to First Avenue to
Bradford Drive. It is advised that drivers avoid this area.
RAGBRAI support vehicle route:
Interstate
80, exit south on Dubuque Street (exit 244) to the Park Road Bridge* and across to City Park
Once on Dubuque Street, RAGBRAI traffic will be directed to stop at a checkpoint where they will receive further instructions on how to proceed
For
overflow support vehicles: Take Highway 218, exit north on Old Highway 218 (exit 89), then east on McCollister Boulevard
*Park Road Bridge will only be open to vehicles registered with RAGBRAI. No pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles will be allowed access at any time. Drivers should take note that the bridge is still under construction and proceed with caution. The bridge will close to RAGBRAI registered traffic at midnight and reopen only to them at 5 a.m. on Saturday, before closing again at noon.
Accessing Downtown
Downtown Iowa City will host the Book it to Iowa City Bash with headline artists The Jayhawks and Blitzen Trapper. Guests will be allowed to visit local bars and restaurants and openly enjoy food, beverages and special programming within the event’s designated area.
Street Closures
Set up will begin at 6 a.m. on Thursday
with closures on Iowa Avenue between Clinton and Dubuque streets, as well
as Clinton between Jefferson and Washington streets.
All other closures will begin at 3 a.m. Friday
morning:
Clinton
Street from Bloomington to Burlington streets; closed
Dubuque
Street from Jefferson to Washington streets; closed
Linn Street
from Iowa Avenue to College Street; closed
Iowa Avenue
from Gilbert to Clinton streets; closed
Washington
Street from Gilbert to Clinton streets; closed
300 block of E. College street only accessible
from Linn Street
Parking
Visitors
coming Downtown Friday are encouraged to park in the
following ramps:
Capitol Street, 220 S. Capitol St.
Dubuque Street, 220 S. Dubuque St.
Harrison Street, 175 E. Harrison St.
Court Street, 150 E. Court St.
The first hour is free in ramps on Capitol and Dubuque streets. The PassportParking app can be downloaded and used for mobile payment at all City meters and some parking garages. To learn more, visit www.icgov.org/parkingapps.
Visitors should avoid using
the Tower Place Ramp, 335 Iowa Ave., due to street closures and volunteer parking, as
well as the Chauncey Swan Ramp, 415 E. Washington St., due to the Rummage in the Ramp event, and the Farmers
Market that opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Transit
Iowa City buses will offer free rides all day on Friday, July 27. The Downtown Interchange will temporarily relocate to the Court Street Transportation Center, 150 E. Court St., starting Thursday, July 27. Normal service will resume Monday, July 30. More info at www.icgov.org/transit.
Safety Tips for Motorists
Give bicyclists room. Do not pass closely. Allow at least 3 feet or move into an adjacent lane.
Be patient. Wait to pass bicyclists until you are able to do so safely.
Reduce speed when passing. Even if there is a bike lane, an opening car door or crack in the road may cause a bicyclist to swerve unexpectedly.
Check blind spots. Make sure to check your blind spots before making turns and before opening car doors if parked on the street.
Special thanks to our event sponsors Hills Bank, Promote Iowa City Area, INC, Mercy Iowa City, MediRevv, Iowa City Area Assosciation of Realtors, The Graduate Hotel, MC Ginsberg, UIHC Men’s Health, MidWestOne Bank, University of Iowa Community Credit Union, West Bank, University of Iowa Health Care, and Big Grove Brewery and Taproom.
