Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Plan for detours, delays April 20 for major bike race in FvilleBy JOHN MUNFORD The Dodge Tour de Georgia bike race, coming to Fayette County Wednesday, April 20, will wreak a little havoc with traffic in the heart of downtown Fayetteville, which is hosting the start of the second day of the race. The eastbound lanes of Ga. Highway 54, stretching from Ga. Highway 85 (Towne Center Jewelry/the Old Fayette County Courthouse) to Jeff Davis Drive (just before Jordan Sales and Salvage) will be closed from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., officials said. Two side streets in the area, Lee Street and Melissa Segars Street, will close around 7 a.m. also as setup begins on the stage. Ga. Highway 85 will remain open all day the day of the race with the exception of about 10-15 minutes near the races start time of 1:30 p.m., officials said. Vehicles going east on Hwy. 54 will only be allowed to turn left (heading north on Hwy. 85) or right (heading south on Hwy. 85). Detour signs will steer motorists down to Ga. Highway 92, then to Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard, where they can get back on Hwy. 54, said Lt. Col. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriffs Department. Locals comfortable with doing so can take shortcuts such as Johnson Avenue to Jeff Davis Drive instead of driving down to Hwy. 92, Hannah said. Officials hope to avoid having confused motorists so traffic doesnt back up too far in the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 54, but residents should expect delays if they have to travel in the area. Some drivers may detour the race starting area entirely by taking Grady Avenue, which links with Ga. Highway 85 South. Others wanting to detour the area to northern destinations in Fayetteville such as the Fayette Pavilion might take Gingercake Trail to Ga. Highway 92 north, which leads into Fayetteville north of the race site. The intersection of hwys. 54 and 85 will be totally blocked off for about 10-15 minutes for the start of the race scheduled for 1:30 p.m. until the caravan completely snakes its way onto Beauregard Boulevard, Hannah said. That is the only time period that Ga. Highway 85 will be blocked off for, he added. Hannah urged motorists to avoid the courthouse square area if possible. That advice holds true for the rest of the race route as well, he noted. The route will be marked by signs several days in advance to notify the public, and maps of the route are published in todays edition of The Citizen on Page A##. When the race begins, sheriffs deputies will be almost 10 minutes ahead of the caravan, making sure the roads are clear, Hannah said. Anyone driving on the route will be guided to pull into the next driveway, safely, and wait there until the entire caravan passes through, which could take up to 20 minutes or so, officials said. The caravan, by the way, consists of a throng of vehicles, followed by the peloton the racing term for the pack of cyclists and then another 30 or so vehicles, some of which have repair crews for each cycling team. |
|
Copyright 2004-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |