SAVANNAH, GA (November 4, 2015): Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are utilizing SCMPD.org to advise residents and visitors of activities surrounding Saturday’s Fifth Annual Rock n’ Roll Marathon.
Roughly 18,000 runners are expected in the race, which begins on Bay Street in front of City Hall at 7 a.m. on Nov. 7. Preparations for the event will begin seven hours earlier when police will verify that the 13-mile half-marathon and 26-mile marathon courses are free of parked vehicles.
Competitor Group of San Diego, which produces the race, has been contacting those who live along the routes over the past few weeks to advise them of the race and routes to avoid it.
Metro Police have posted all information on SCMPD.org, where a special section is devoted entirely to the race at https://savannahpd.org/rock-and-roll/. Last year, the site had 25,000 hits during the event.
The website will provide live updates of the race’s progress as well as traffic information. The course map; road closures by areas with alternate access and exit routes; a complete list of all road closures specifying which areas of particular blocks will be closed and the anticipated time ranges; a color-coded grid of the no parking zones; and a turn-by-turn listing of the route for participants are also featured on the website.
Five areas are of particular note:
- Drayton Street will be closed to traffic from Park Avenue to East Hall Street from Friday throughout the race to allow for setup of the finish line.
- On Saturday, the area around Forsyth Park where the races will end and runners usually congregate to recuperate will be highly congested until roughly 4pm.
- Bay Street from Bull to Lincoln will experience closures beginning at around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning for the build out of the marathon starting area.
- Victory Drive becomes highly congested during the marathon due to increased traffic. Allow for extra time in your commute.
- Skidaway Road will be closed to southbound traffic at Laroche Avenue from 8:30 a.m. until about 2:45 p.m. Residents will be able to access Truman Parkway north and south from Delesseps Avenue.
A free concert by award winning country music group, Rascal Flatts, will follow the run at Forsyth Park’s center stage. No parking will be available at or around the park. Paid parking will be available at the Liberty Street Parking Garage on a first come, first serve basis .
Parking will not be permitted along the routes after midnight on Friday. Beginning at 3:30 a.m. roads will be closed to vehicular traffic in the Historic District and the Truman Parkway between President Street and Derenne Avenue.
Traffic closures will continue in west Savannah beginning around 5:30 a.m.; Carver Heights at 6 a.m.; East Broad Street, East Henry Street, the Gordonston neighborhood and East Anderson Street at 6:15 a.m.; Delesseps Avenue at 6:30 a.m., the Savannah State University area, LaRoche and East 52nd streets at 6:45 a.m.; and the Edgemore neighborhood at 7 a.m. Routes will reopen as the last participant passes.
Police urge parents to take pictures of children before the event in case of separation. Any lost children will be taken to the nearest medical tent. Medical tents will be located throughout the course.
Please visit https://savannahpd.org/rock-and-roll/ for full details about the Fifth Annual Rock n’ Roll Marathon.
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