CHARLOTTE – Hanging around uptown Charlotte this weekend? Don't worry if you see a few thousand runners on a highway. It's planned.
This weekend is the Around the Crown 10K , a 6.2-mile race on city streets and a portion of the Interstate 277 inner loop. The race will start promptly at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation and the city of Charlotte support this event happening on the morning of a holiday weekend with the least impact to drivers, provided a traffic management plan would be in place providing the highest level of safety.
Because of its success, race organizers have been working with local and state health officials to ensure precautions are in place for another safe event this Labor Day weekend.
Since part of the racecourse is on I-277, the inner loop will be closed to vehicular traffic. Crews will start installing traffic control at 3 a.m., since implementing the safety measures will take up to four hours. The outer loop will stay open.
Drivers will not be able to access the inner loop from I-77 North or South, Independence Boulevard or Brookshire Freeway. Smaller interchanges within the inner loop will also be impacted.
Traffic control removal will start once the last runner exits I-277. This will take a few hours, so drivers should not expect to use the inner loop before noon.
NCDOT will also alert drivers to the inner loop closure using overhead message signs on other roads approaching uptown so decisions to take alternate routes can be made ahead of time.
Event details are available at the Around the Crown website.