The Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3, presented by Ford will impact Pinellas County traffic on race day, Saturday, Nov. 14. Lane and road closures will start at 5 a.m. throughout the county. Clearwater Beach road closures will begin at 3 a.m., and drivers will not be permitted to travel south of the roundabout due to closures on Coronado Drive and South Gulfview Boulevard.

Estimated Times of Impact
The bike route, which travels 56 miles throughout northern and mid Pinellas County, will affect the following areas:
•Coronado Drive at the Clearwater Beach Roundabout, 3 a.m. to 5 p.m.
•Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Court Street, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
•NE Cleveland Street and Drew Street, 7 to 9:15 a.m.
•Drew Street and Keene Road, 7 to 9:25 a.m.
•Drew Street and Belcher Road, 7 to 9:30 a.m.
•Sunset Point Road and Belcher Road, 7:15 to 9:45 a.m.
•Countryside Boulevard and State Road 580, 7:15 to 10 a.m.
•Countryside Boulevard and Curlew Road, 7:15 to 10 a.m.
•Countryside Boulevard and Lake St. George Drive, 7:15 to 10:15 a.m.
•Lake St. George Drive and Tampa Road, 7:15 to 10:15 a.m.
•Tampa Road and Off ramp to East Lake Road, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
•East Lake Road and Keystone Road, 7:30 to 11 a.m.
•East Lake Road to Trinity Oaks Boulevard and back, 7:45 to 11 a.m.
•McMullen Booth Road and Curlew Road, 7:45 to 11:15 a.m.
•McMullen Booth Road and Enterprise Road, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
•McMullen Booth Road and Drew Street, 8:15 to 11:45 a.m.
•McMullen Booth Road and Roosevelt Boulevard, 8:30 a.m. to noon
•East Bay Drive and Belcher Road, 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
•Belcher Road and Belleair Road, 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
•Belcher Road and Gulf to Bay Boulevard, 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
•Gulf to Bay Boulevard to Clearwater Beach, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The run route, which travels 13.1 miles from Pier 60 throughout Clearwater Beach, across the Memorial Causeway Bridge and into downtown Clearwater, will affect the following areas:

•Fort Harrison Ave., from Chestnut St. to Jeffords St., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Bay Ave., from Druid Rd. to Jeffords St., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Magnolia Dr., from Pinellas Trail to Druid Rd. South, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Druid Rd. South, from Jeffords St. to Orange Ave., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Orange Ave., from Druid Rd. to Turner St., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Turner St., from Orange Ave. to Oak Ave., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
•Oak Ave., from Turner St. to Chestnut St., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To access Morton Plant Hospital, drivers will have to use Pinellas Street.

Detours and Road Impacts
Belcher Road
If you live along east side of Belcher Road please use U.S. 19 as your north-south route. It will be difficult to exit your neighborhoods onto Belcher Road to go north bound or to turn left out of your neighborhoods and travel south.

East Lake Area Detours
The median openings along East Lake Road between Tampa Road and Trinity Boulevard will be blocked throughout the duration of the bike portion of the race. If you live in the area or know someone that does, plan ahead and learn the detour routes.
•Residents living west of East Lake Road will be able to travel south on East Lake Road to access Tampa Road.
•Residents that live east of East Lake Road can travel north on East Lake Road, turn right on Trinity Boulevard and make a U-turn at the second median opening to go south.
•Residents living east of East Lake Road can also utilize East Lake Woodlands Parkway to access Tampa Road.
•At McMullen Booth Road and State Road 580, traffic traveling on McMullen Booth Road will be detoured east on State Road 580 to Tampa Road where cars will able to access East Lake Road.

Bayside Bridge Detour
Traffic traveling south bound on the McMullen Booth will be unable to use to Bayside Bridge during the race. Cars will be detoured to go west on Drew St., south on U.S. 19. When cars get to Roosevelt Boulevard, exit and make a U-turn under the over pass and go east on Roosevelt Boulevard to get onto 49th Street.

North Pinellas County
•Keystone Road will be shut down at East Lake Road from 7:30 to 11 a.m., find an alternate route and avoid the area if you can.
•All eastbound and westbound intersections along East Lake Road will be blocked between Tampa Road and Trinity Boulevard. If you need to cross East Lake Road, you will have to travel south to Tampa Road or north of Trinity Boulevard.

Full Road Closures
Most roads along the route will have only partial lane closures. Soft closures allow the police officers to let cars through when there is a break between the bicycles. Cars may have to wait for an extended period of time until they are permitted to travel through the intersection. Full road closures on race day include the following:
•Most of South Gulfview Boulevard will close on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. and re-open Monday, Nov. 16, 8 a.m.
•Keystone Road will be shut down at East Lake Road/McMullen Booth Road from 7:30 to 11 a.m.
•McMullen Booth Road from Curlew Road to Tampa Road, Northbound lanes will be closed to traffic
•Bayside Bridge, from Drew Street to Roosevelt Boulevard, Southbound lanes will be closed to traffic
•Coronado Drive will be closed from the Clearwater Beach roundabout to Devon Drive starting at 3 a.m.

Clearwater Beach Traffic Impact
Because the majority of the event takes place at Pier 60, most of South Gulfview Boulevard will be closed from Tuesday, Nov. 10, to Monday, Nov. 16. and Coronado will be closed from the Clearwater Beach roundabout to Devon Drive starting at 3 a.m. on race day. If residents need to leave the beach on race day, they should plan to leave the before 7 a.m. to avoid the traffic impacts. Between 7 and 9 a.m. North Beach residents will have limited access to the roundabout. South Beach residents and those needing access to and from South Beach after 3 a.m. will need to use the Belleair Causeway.

Helpful Driving Hints for Race Day
To ease congestion on race day, drivers should leave early to allow for extra traffic and lane closures. The bike course will re-open at 12:30 p.m. and the run course will re-open at 3:30 p.m. Since the race route does not affect U.S. 19, use it as the main north-south route. Signalized intersections along the route will have police officers assisting motorists and will let vehicles through when and if it is safe to do so. Motorists who come upon a non-signalized intersection should yield to bicyclists as bikes have right-of-way on the course.

Drivers will have to share multi-lane roads with bicyclists. Throughout most of the route, cyclists will be in the outside curb lane and vehicles will travel in the remaining lanes. On McMullen Booth Road, cyclists will be traveling on the inside median lane, and vehicles will be traveling in the outside lanes.

About The Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3, Presented by Ford
The 2009 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3, Presented by Ford, is the culmination of over thirty global Ironman 70.3 events and takes more than 1,700 athletes along a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. More than 90,000 athletes vie for slots to the event each year. The 2009 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 will air on NBC on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Check your local listings and stay tuned to http://www.ironman.com for additional details.

More information, including maps of the route, can be found at http://www.myclearwater.com/ironman or by calling the hotline at (727) 562-INFO (4636).