By Matt de Simone
The IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon returns to Botetourt County on June 6. The swimming, biking, and running event will begin with a 1.2-mile swim in the Carvins Cove Reservoir in Roanoke and will make its way up to Route 11 and Route 43 for the 56-mile bike course. The final 13.1-mile run concludes at the River’s Edge sporting complex in Roanoke.
With a portion of this competition taking place on main throughways in Botetourt County, the race will likely affect traffic in specific locations.
Jason Bond, communications manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), recently spoke with The Fincastle Herald about what Botetourt County residents can expect regarding road closures and traffic during the bicycling portion event.
“On June 6, in the early-morning hours, the right lane of northbound Route 11 will be closed between Reservoir Road and Buchanan,” Bond explained.
The routing onto Alternate 220 and at Gateway Crossing will primarily be on the shoulder with police assisting with those intersections. Route 43 to the Blue Ridge Parkway will close to through traffic from 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on June 6, with resident traffic available to still access that portion of the road. Reservoir Road going into Carvins Cove will close to local traffic on June 3-6.
“I think there is some potential for delays, but I think it will be relatively less impacted because it is the weekend,” Bond added.
Bond also mentioned that IRONMAN sent a letter to all residents impacted by potential traffic informing them to proceed to the highlighted areas with caution.
For more information about the traffic impacts, visit https://www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge-course.
