Road information for Memorial Day Weekend

 

Durango, CO – Memorial Day Weekend and the 39^th Annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is next weekend.  For an added safety measure for both participants and vehicles, highway 550 from the Iron Horse Inn to County Road 203 in Hermosa will be limited to northbound vehicular traffic traveling in the southbound shoulder while Iron Horse participants will be traveling in the northbound lane.  Southbound traffic will be detoured onto County Road 203 at the railroad tracks in Hermosa and coming out onto the highway at Sweeney’s.   This slight detour will be in effect from 7:15am until 9:00am on Saturday May 29, 2010.  AnimasValley residents are encouraged to come out and cheer on the riders as they race the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train to Silverton. 

And as for the past 12 years Highway 550 will be closed from Durango Mountain Resort on Saturday May 29th^th from 8:00 until 1:00p.m.  This is permit from the Colorado State Patrol to increase safety for drivers and cyclists.

This year in preparation for the 40^th anniversary of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, there will be a media crew filming the road and tour events in a helicopter over Highway 550.

Only cyclists who have paid to participate and received numbers issued from the registration office for this year’s Iron Horse Bicycle Classic will be permitted on the closed road. There will be a number check a Millcreek. Cyclists who have entered the closed highway without a number will be required to turn back by a deputy sheriff.  Both the race and the tour are sold out.

The kid’s race and the criterium will be on Sunday May 30^th  starting at 7:00a.m.  Traffic will not be allowed on Main Avenue, 800, 900, 1000, West 100 blocks of 9^th & 10^th Streets, East 100 blocks of 8th, 9th, 10th streets, East 200 blocks of 7th, 8th, 9th streets and 700 block of E 3rd Avenue.

In addition to the Saturday event, there will be a time trial race on County Rd 250, on Monday May 30^th   from 7:00am until noon.  The north bound lane of traffic will be closed.  All vehicles will have to use the south bound lane and go south. 

The Mercy Health Foundation is the beneficiary of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. The organization is assisting with the capital campaign to raise $2.7 million to develop a comprehensive breast care center at MercyRegionalMedicalCenter.

Donating proceeds to chartable organizations is not new for the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic; the bike race has supported Mercy Health Foundation-Heart Fund, American Heart Associations Trails 2000, Safe Road Coalition, Fort Lewis College Cycling Team, Durango DEVO to name a few.

The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic expects the economic impact of the event to be 1.5 million of “outside money” coming into Durango over the 3 day event.

For more information go to www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com.