Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge
A large part of Melton Lake Drive will be closed Thursday for the USA Cycling Individual Time Trial National Championship, which is being held in Oak Ridge.
The planned road closure was announced by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Police Department.
The closure is necessary to provide a safe, closed-loop course for athletes, volunteers, and spectators, a press release said.
The first phase of the road closure will begin at 7 a.m. Thursday, June 21, as crews begin to set up the course, the press release said. A section of Melton Lake Drive will be shut down from Amanda Drive to Emory Valley Road. During this time, drivers will be able to turn left from Amanda Drive onto Melton Lake Drive as well as turn right from Emory Valley Road onto Melton Lake Drive.
Phase two is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., when additional sections of Melton Lake Drive, along with the eastern portion of Union Valley Road, will be shut down to complete the course. At this point, Melton Lake Drive will be closed from Palisades Parkway to Rolling Links Boulevard, the press release said.
After phase two is complete, residents living in the area who need to travel in or out of their neighborhoods will still be able to turn left from Palisades Parkway onto Melton Lake Drive. The Rivers Run Boulevard entrance to Melton Lake Drive will be closed. All residents entering or exiting Rivers Run must use Rolling Links Boulevard, the press release said. Area residents were notified of the closures in advance via mail.
No closures are planned along Emory Valley Road during the event, but traffic will not be allowed to turn onto Melton Lake Drive from either direction on Emory Valley Road. Melton Lake Drive is expected to reopen to traffic by 6 p.m. Thursday.
Spectators will be able to park at Roane State Community College campus on Briarcliff Avenue in Oak Ridge, the City of Oak Ridge said.
Spectators will be shuttled to a safe drop-off point, where they will walk a short distance to view the course, the city said.
For additional information, including course maps and a full schedule of events, visit the City of Oak Ridge website or the USA Cycling National Championships website.
See our previous stories on the USA Cycling races here.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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