The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 on Thursday to approve a temporary traffic restriction for a one-way loop through the village of Old Greenwich and along local residential roads for Greenwich Road Runners' inaugural HSS Greenwich Half Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 27. HSS, the Hospital for Special Surgery, is the title sponsor, and the race is scheduled to start and finish at Greenwich Point Park, also known as Tod's Point.
Greenwich Selectmen Approve Traffic Plan for Inaugural Half Marathon
The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 on Thursday to approve a temporary traffic restriction for a one-way loop through the village of Old Greenwich and along local residential roads for Greenwich Road Runners' inaugural HSS Greenwich Half Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 27. HSS, the Hospital for Special Surgery, is the title sponsor, and the race is scheduled to start and finish at Greenwich Point Park, also known as Tod's Point.
Past Greenwich Road Runners races have been contained within Greenwich Point Park, and organizers hope the race will become one of Connecticut's premier fall road races. Chris Dawson of Greenwich Road Runners went before the Selectmen for a second read and addressed two complaints: residents worried about being unable to get out of their driveways along the race route, and merchants who feared their businesses would be negatively impacted. Dawson said he spent three days going door-to-door in Old Greenwich talking to businesses and handing out copies of the race map.
A letter from Greenwich Road Runners to merchants listed benefits: 2,000 visitors in Old Greenwich between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m.; about 700 runners and their families plus volunteers from Greenwich; about 700 more runners and their families from Connecticut; and about 600 runners and their families from 13 states and Washington, D.C. The letter said the 7 a.m. race start would minimize impact on the community and emphasized only partial road closures, with one lane open to traffic in the opposite direction of the runners. There will be a 3-hour course limit, so all runners will be off public streets by 10 a.m., the letter said. Dawson said the start time originally was 8 a.m. but was moved back to 7 a.m. when there is less traffic. "Many of the businesses in town don't even open until later in the morning," he said.
Dawson said organizers will work with Greenwich Police, who will have upwards of 17 off-duty police, and 150 volunteers will be on the course, including in the business district, to help with traffic. He said signage will be displayed a week before the event and organizers plan to go door-to-door to distribute a traffic advisory that includes a map of the course and timeline. Greenwich Police suggested issuing a reverse 911 to the Old Greenwich zip code to alert residents, Dawson said. He said residents could consider parking their cars across the street, in a neighbor's driveway or making other accommodations. "We've designed this course to minimize any impact on drivers," he said. "During the entirety of the race, all the roads will be open counter-clockwise to the runners." Dawson said police will place cones along the east side of Sound Beach Ave in the business district. The race is for runners only, with no walkers or strollers.
The course starts and finishes at Greenwich Point Park with two clockwise loops through the Old Greenwich business district. Runners will leave the park and head north on Sound Beach Ave through the business district, take a right on Harding, proceed along Tomac Ave past Innis Arden Golf Club, turn right on Shore Road, and then right on Sound Beach for a second loop, for a total of 13.1 miles. The goal is to get the last runner off public roads and into the park by 10 a.m.
John Bysiewicz of JB Sports is the race director. He said there will be over 400 runners from Greenwich and that volunteers will be from Greenwich. Bysiewicz said Greenwich Road Runners will raise tens of thousands of dollars for Greenwich-based nonprofit organizations. The top three selected by a board vote were Greenwich Parks & Recreation, Greenwich High School Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, and the Friends of Greenwich Point Park. Organizations that provide volunteers will also receive donations, including Brunswick School, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich Scouting, Greenwich Lions Club and Living Hope Community Church, Bysiewicz said.
First Selectman Camillo asked how long a resident would have to wait to get out of a driveway along the race route. "Is there a way for them to get out?" he asked. Dawson said some volunteers would assist police in moving traffic along and there would be gaps between groups of runners. One resident testified that his concerns about being trapped by the race had been addressed. "I'm very confident that no one is going to get trapped in their driveway," he said. Bysiewicz said emergency vehicles have first priority. "Someone would be able to get out in an ambulance," he said. "Folks within the race route might have to wait a minute or two to leave their driveway. They will not be stuck in their house for 20 minutes or any length of time." Parks & Rec director Joe Siciliano said GEMS was part of the sign-off on the event and suggested organizers work with them to look at advanced staging within the route to respond quickly. The Selectmen voted 3-0 to approve the temporary traffic restriction for the one-way loop.
- The source does not state the year of the Sept. 27 race.
- The source does not state the exact calendar date of the Thursday vote.
- The source does not state the total number of runners expected.
- The source does not state how much money organizers expect to raise beyond "tens of thousands of dollars."
- The source does not state how merchants responded after receiving the letter from Greenwich Road Runners.
- The source does not state whether the Board of Selectmen gave reasons for its approval.
Read the original at Greenwich Free Press