Roads Overtaken: How to Avoid the traffic

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To see maps of alternate traffic routes and the location of public parking lots, visit:Downtown:http://outdoorchattanooga.com/images/US_Pro_Traffic_Map_Downtown_2014.pdfBroad Street:http://outdoorchattanooga.com/images/USPRO_traffic_map_SBroadStreet_2014.pdfLookout Mountain:http://outdoorchattanooga.com/images/USPRO_traffic_map_Lookout_Mtn_2014.pdf

The hundreds of cyclists buzzing around the streets of downtown Chattanooga this weekend will make navigating through the heart of the city a little bit tricky.

The race is broken up into the downtown circuit, a 5.1-mile loop encompassing UTC, downtown and the North Shore, and the long circuit, which runs around Lookout Mountain via the Ochs and Scenic highways.

Broad Street:

¦ Much of downtown will be closed to through and cross traffic, so be prepared to build in a little extra travel time when you're driving through the area.

¦ Major road closures will include Broad Street from 12th to Seventh streets, Market Street from 12th Street to the North Shore, and Frazier Avenue between Market Street and Veterans Memorial Bridge.

¦ While some traffic will be able to trickle across Broad and Market as the race allows, it's smarter to steer clear. Based on how things went last year, the best options will be to use Riverfront Parkway, the interstate, Carter Street and Central Avenue.

¦ If crossing the course really is your only option, Main, 20th, 25th, 26th and 33rd streets will be the best options.

¦ Vehicles trying to cross the course will have to wait either for large gaps in the cyclist packs or for the race caravan to pass. The race caravan is the very first law enforcement vehicle to the last vehicle, and all the cyclists in between. From the first vehicle to the last, it will take about 12 to 15 minutes to go by.

North Shore:

¦ For those on the North Shore, River Street could be a better option, and it will be open.

¦ The eastern side of Veterans Bridge and of Broad Street from 20th Street to Lookout Mountain will be open to two-way traffic.

Lookout Mountain:

¦ Access to Lookout Mountain will be restricted to one-way traffic going up Ochs Highway and one-way traffic going down Scenic Highway. Cummings Highway will be closed from Scenic to Broad, so motorists will be diverted to Interstate 24.

¦ For tourists wishing to visit some of Lookout Mountain's highlights, there will be a free shuttle Monday to Rock City, Ruby Falls and the upper Incline Railway Station. The shuttle will leave from the First Tennessee Pavilion at Finley Stadium every 20 to 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

¦ In the gap between the men's and women's races will be the handcycling championship, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This will be concentrated in the downtown area and will allow traffic to flow down Broad Street and on Lookout Mountain without any delays.

¦ The men's race should wrap up around 5:45 p.m., at which point the cleanup will begin and all roads will reopen soon after.

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