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What to know when RAGBRAI comes to Coralville on Friday
Here’s info on road closures, transit, entertainment and where to cool off
CORALVILLE — Coralville has been preparing for months to welcome tens of thousands of cyclists Friday from all over the world during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
This year’s RAGBRAI route began July 22 in Sioux City and arrives Friday to stay overnight in Coralville. The cyclists will leave Saturday, going through Iowa City, and head toward Davenport to wrap up the ride.
This is Coralville’s sixth time as an overnight host, and the city recruited more than 900 volunteers for this year’s stop. If you’re traveling through Coralville and Iowa City, plan to allow extra time and use extra caution while driving through Friday or early Saturday.
Coralville is gearing up for a double celebration as RAGBRAI’s 50th year coincides with the city's own 150th anniversary. The theme of Coralville’s overnight stop is "Cheers to the years.”
Mayor Meghann Foster previously told The Gazette how Coralville is well-suited to be an overnight stop for RAGBRAI with hospitality being part of the city’s heritage, along with various options for entertainment, retail and restaurants.
“Coralville knows how to throw a good party,” Foster said.
To get ready for the celebration, here’s what to know about road closures, transportation, entertainment and where to cool off as temperatures continue to climb. The entertainment and various events are free and open to the public.
Friday road closures
Cyclists will enter Coralville from IWV Road to Melrose Avenue and head north on Camp Cardinal Boulevard toward S.T. Morrison Park, where there will be vendors, entertainment and the main stage. Support vehicles will begin arriving Friday morning, with the majority of bicyclists arriving in the afternoon.
The following streets will be closed or have controlled access from 6 a.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday:
- 14th Avenue from Seventh Street to 10th Street (bus and local traffic only)
- 18th Avenue from Fifth Street to 19th Avenue (local traffic only)
- Eighth Street from 14th Avenue to 18th Avenue
- Seventh Street from Fifth Street to 14th Avenue, including the City Hall and Aquatic Center parking lots
- University Court from Ridgeway Drive to University Parkway
The following streets will be impacted by bicycle traffic and lane closures, so try to avoid driving these routes:
- Camp Cardinal Boulevard is closed to traffic from just north of the Moove In Storage driveway to Highway 6 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Use James Street and 25th Avenue as a detour.
- 22nd Avenue
- Ninth Street
- 18th Avenue
Saturday road closures
Cyclists will leave S.T. Morrison Park on Saturday morning and head to Kinnick Stadium and downtown Iowa City toward their final destination of Davenport. The majority of bicyclists will leave between 6 and 10 a.m.
The following streets will be impacted by bicycle traffic and lane closures in Coralville, so try to avoid driving these routes:
- 12th Avenue
- Fifth Street
- First Avenue
- Second Street/Highway 6
Road closures in downtown Iowa City and along the route will begin at 2 a.m. Saturday and last until about 10 a.m. The following roads will be closed:
- Highway 6 at Newton Road
- North and South Clinton Street from Jefferson Street to Washington Street
- Madison Street northbound from Washington Street
- Market Street westbound from Clinton Street will be closed to through traffic
- Dubuque Street from Iowa Avenue to Washington Street
- Linn Street will be closed to Iowa Avenue
- Iowa Avenue from Clinton Street to Gilbert Street
- The intersection of Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue will be controlled by Iowa City police to pause traffic for cyclists
The following roads outside of downtown Iowa City will be closed:
- Evans Street southbound at Muscatine Avenue
- Washington Street eastbound from Summit Street will be closed to through traffic
- College Street eastbound from Summit Street will be closed to through traffic
- Burlington Street eastbound from Summit Street will be closed to through traffic
- Rundell Street northbound will be closed at Muscatine Avenue
- Dearborn Street northbound will be closed at Muscatine Avenue
- Village Green Boulevard northbound from Village Road will be closed to through traffic
Riders and community members are invited to stop along Iowa Avenue from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday to grab breakfast from vendors who will be set up along the street.
Using public transit and shuttles
Coralville Transit will be free for all passengers Friday and will run regular routes, but delays are anticipated. Use the real-time maps on the Transit app with actual bus locations to locate buses, since the bus arrival times may be inaccurate given the road closures and traffic delays.
For a list of delays, changes to service and which stops won’t be served, visit coralville.org/transit.
Free mass transit buses will be available to the public to travel to the RAGBRAI locations in Coralville from 10 a.m. to midnight Friday The shuttle buses will run about every 30 minutes and increase between 6 p.m. and midnight. A shuttle route map can be found online at coralvilleragbrai.com.
Iowa City Transit impacts can be found online at icgov.org/RAGBRAI2023.
What will there be to do?
All entertainment will be in and around S.T. Morrison Park through the day, including concerts, movies, a kids zone, beverage garden, food and other vendors.
The entertainment begins at 10 a.m. Friday and is free and open to the public.
The stage will be set up similarly to how it is during the city’s FourthFest celebration. Rock band Bush will be the headliner, with opening band Plush, an all-female rock group. There also will be magicians, jugglers and local music acts throughout the day. A full entertainment schedule can be found at coralvilleragbrai.com.
The area will have “larger than life” photo murals celebrating Coralville’s 150th anniversary, as well as a mural for RAGBRAI. All of the wheat-pasted murals are being done by artist Isaac Campbell.
Where to cool off
This week has seen some of the hottest weather of the summer and that will continue into Friday.
The Coralville Recreation Center and Northwest Junior High School, which are at the center of the RAGBRAI campus, will be available for anyone who needs to cool off.
The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts will be showing movies from 12:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is another place to relax and cool off.
The Coralville indoor pool and the Coralville Community Aquatic Center will be open Friday. Admission is $8 a person with a local ID or $9 without a local ID. The indoor pool will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The aquatic center will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com
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