Flower City Challenge will mean closures, detours on area roads
The Flower City Challenge will put thousands of distance runners on city streets for a good cause this weekend, but it will mean motorists will put a little more distance on their drives, too.
Here’s how the annual half-marathon event may impact area roads:
Race day is Sunday, but traffic impacts will start with some road closures on Saturday, according to race organizer Fleet Feet & Yellow Jacket Racing.
Saturday road restrictions
Cortland Street at Parcel 5 will close to traffic at noon Saturday and won’t reopen until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Parking will also be restricted on Elm Street and Andrew Langston during that time.
Sunday road closings
The biggest traffic impacts will happen Sunday, starting early in the morning and lasting until early afternoon.
Roads will be closed during specific timeframes, but police will allow local traffic to cross through the area.
Here’s where and when the impacts are scheduled:
● Zone 1 (7:15 a.m. to 9 a.m.): From the race start at Parcel 5 on Main Street westbound to affected streets at West Main, Madison, Brown, Morrie Silver Way, Verona Street, and North Plymouth Ave from Brown Street to East Main.
● Zone 1a (7:15 a.m. to 11 a.m.): Main Street will be impacted from East Avenue to South Avenue.
● Zone 2 (7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m.): Starting from East Main to East Ave, then turning right on Buckingham to Park Ave and Goodman.
● Zone 3 (8 a.m. to 10 a.m.): Expect disruptions on Goodman from Park to Pinetum, with no exit from I-490 to Goodman Street.
● Zone 4 (8 a.m. to 11 a.m.): Route from Pinetum to Reservoir, crossing South Ave, Reservoir to Mt. Hope, and then turning left on McLean, left on Wilson, and right on Elmwood onto River Trail at Genesee Valley Park. When there are the most runners on the course, Wilson Blvd. from Elmwood to McLean will have southbound restrictions; traffic will be directed to use Intercampus or Ford Street then.
● Zone 5 (8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Restrictions finish on South Ave and Main Street.
Schedule
The Flower City Challenge has been running since 2010 and aims to show off historical and cultural sites around the city.
This year, the half-marathon and 5K races start and end at Parcel 5.
The 13.1-mile race starts at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K racers leave the line 10 minutes later. The kids’ half-miler steps off at 10:30 a.m.