RICHMOND, Va. – Navigating the city will require some planning over the next seven days due to the UCI Road World Championships. There are two Individual Time Trials on Monday, Sept. 21, that will prompt road closures.
The 21 Women's Junior Time Trial, a 9.3 mile circuit, is from 10 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
The Men's Under 23 Time Trial, an 18.6 mile circuit, is from 11:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. – it is two laps around the course.
The timing of the races mean that drivers can anticipate road closures from 9 a.m. to around 4 p.m. That said, there are permanent road closures in effect until the races end on Sept. 27.
The downtown area and Belvidere corridor areas will be impacted. There will be course crossings allowed.
On Monday, there will also be interstate ramp closures.
- Exit 74C of I-95
- Exit 78 of I-95
- The Belvidere Street exit off I-195, near VCU
Roads affected:
3rd Street
E. Broad Street
W. Broad Street
N. Belvidere Street
W. Franklin Street
Monument Avenue
N. Davis Avenue
N. Laurel Street
W. Main Street
S. Belvidere Street
Riverside Drive
W. 20th Street
Stonewall Avenue (back to Belvidere, then Broad)
S. 2nd Street
E. Main Street
Governor Street
Neighborhoods affected:
Downtown, Fan District, South Richmond (small area near the Robert E. Lee Bridge) and Broad Street (from 5th to 12th and Belvidere to 3rd St.)
Belvidere Corridor Accessibility Area
- I-195 Downtown Expressway Belvidere Street Exits will be closed during the Individual Time Trial training session and will reopen following the Individual Time Trial training session and race events.
- 2nd Street will be converted to two-way travel where it passes under Belvidere to facilitate movement across the course.
- Byrd Street will be converted to two-way travel from Belvidere to 2nd Street to facilitate access to offices near Byrd and Belvidere.
- Pine Street will be converted from one-way northbound to one-way southbound in order to facilitate vehicular flow from Cary Street eastbound to Cumberland Street Westbound because Cary does not allow crossing of the course during the race.
- Drivers who would normally travel between downtown and Southside via Belvidere Street across the Lee Bridge should consider taking 9th Street across the Manchester Bridge, 14th Street across the Mayo Bridge or I-95.
- Drivers who would normally travel between Southside and East Main Street/Uptown, Oregon Hill, VCU, the Fan or the Museum District via Belvidere Street across the Lee Bridge should consider taking 76 Powhite Parkway, Westover Hills Boulevard across the Nickel Bridge, or 9th Street, 14th Street or I-95 to Westbound 195 Downtown Expressway.
Downtown accessibility area
- The downtown accessibility area is bounded on the north by Broad Street, on the east by Governor Street, on the south by Main Street, and on the west by 2nd Street.
- Access is from the south, where vehicular crossing points allow controlled travel across Main Street at 6th Street, 7th Street, 8th Street and 9th Street.
- Drivers entering the area should plan to do so from the south via northbound 7th or 9th Street.
- Drivers leaving the area should plan to do so to the south via southbound 6th or 8th Street. For more details, see the Richmond 2015 Roads Guide for September 21.
As far as the course, racers head west from downtown to Monument Avenue. From there, the course makes a 180-degree turn at N. Davis Avenue and continues in the opposite direction. The race then cuts through the Fan district before coming back through Virginia Commonwealth University and then crossing the James River.
After a technical turnaround, the race comes back across the James and works its way through downtown Richmond, eventually heading up the 300-meter-long climb on Governor Street.
WHERE TO WATCH
There are two fan zones and the FanFest, places where you can watch the racers and also see the Jumbotron perspective which provides other details of the race and vantage points. Fan zones have food, beer, television and bathrooms.
The beer garden at 12th and Broad Street has the homestretch view, and there are food trucks there, and also near the finish line. More details here, but click that image to enlarge, and it should work great!
Other good vantage points:
- Monroe Park
- Monument Avenue
- Governor Street
Click here for the printable day-by-day view of Fan Zones: Where to view UCI races and Fan Zones
The printable version for shuttle information is here: SHUTTLE SCHEDULE AND SATELLITE PARKING
TheWTVR.com/UCIpage is where all bike-race related stories land.
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- Where to find the 41 Richmond food trucks and get beer at UCI races
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- How to grab the best view during UCI Road World Championship races
- Times, closures, fan zones and courses for Richmond 2015 bike races
- Family guide for Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championship races
- Richmond events surrounding the UCI Road World Championships
- These four city blocks along Broad Street are closing, don’t freak out
- How to get to Richmond 2015 via vehicle, shuttle, bike or mass transit
- Why Pop-Up RVA signs are popping up in empty downtown storefronts
- Temporary foot bridges up at VCU ahead of UCI Road World Championships
- Richmond 2015 bike race unlimited GRTC bus pass now on sale
- MAPS: A look at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships routes through Richmond
