News from: The City of La Quinta
As many of you might already be aware, last night the council voted to allow IRONMAN to hold their event again in La Quinta this year on December 8th. The event will run through our City; however, it will not be a repeat of last year’s traffic nightmare. City staff met with IRONMAN and the City of Indian Wells immediately following last year’s event to evaluate the traffic situation and where the problems occurred. Additionally, the City has strongly expressed to IRONMAN that this year we will be in full control of the event from start to finish, including traffic, to ensure our residents a more positive outcome.
The bike route for 2019 will be different than last years with the athletes using not only the Thermal racetrack, but also avoiding Washington Street and Highway 111 as much as possible. The new route selected was designed from feedback we received from the workshops attended by the residents/businesses of La Quinta. Originally, there were two options for the route; however, a third emerged creating a hybrid of the two from the input received. We are also working with La Quinta Police Department (LQPD) for their input on the route. LQPD will be on hand day of the race to ensure smooth traffic flow.
We want to remind the community that with an event of this magnitude there will be delays; however, our goal is to make sure traffic flow continues, the race route is clearly marked, and detours are clearly defined. We are asking our residents to make sure they are fully aware of the closures, detours, and race route in order to plan their day accordingly.
The City will be partnering with IRONMAN to deliver community outreach regarding this event via the following methods: social media, print, radio, digital, community meetings, as well as working with our local businesses to inform and educate all things IRONMAN 70.3. The finalized route will be submitted to the City by IRONMAN no later than May and will be widely broadcast for early awareness and preparation.
We are proud to be a co-host of the IRONMAN 70.3 to showcase our beautiful City and its scenic vistas to the world. We want to thank our residents/businesses for your confidence in our commitment to deliver an outstanding event in 2019.
Thank you!