Traffic impacts expected in New Hanover County for the Novant Health Marathon
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Novant Health Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K is scheduled for Saturday, and while it’s good news for runners, it can be a nuisance for drivers.
The race will begin around 7 a.m. at the Johnnie Mercers Pier in Wrightsville Beach and head down Eastwood Road to MLK Parkway, finishing at Riverfront Park around 1:30 p.m. The full marathon will include a route toward Greenfield Lake. A map of the race route can be found here.
Drivers should be aware of detours and barricades that will be in place along the race route.
Athletes will be shuttled to the intersection of N. Lumina and E. Salisbury Street via Causeway Drive where they will exit the shuttle and gather at the race start on the north side of East Salisbury Street to begin the race at 7:10 a.m. This area will be closed to vehicle parking from Friday, February 24, until Saturday, February 25, 8:30 a.m. Parking spaces on the south side of East Salisbury Street will remain open for customer parking and beach visitors.
Southbound N. Lumina Avenue between Salisbury Street and the Causeway Drive/Waynick Blvd intersection will be closed from about 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Residents and businesses traveling north may experience a considerable delay passing through this area during this timeframe.
Causeway Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. with vehicles being diverted to Salisbury Street. The outside eastbound lane of Causeway Drive over the Heide Trask Drawbridge will be closed to vehicle traffic until the athletes have cleared the drawbridge and the barrier removed.
The Wrightsville Beach Police Department will have officers directing traffic where needed, and normal traffic flow in Wrightsville Beach is scheduled to resume by 8:30 a.m. as the race continues into Wilmington.
Here’s a list of associated road and lane closures in Wilmington for downtown, South Front, and Greenfield Lake:
- Southbound North Front Street between North Third & Red Cross streets
- Red Cross Street between North Front & North Water streets
- North Water Street between Red Cross & Walnut streets
- North Water Street between Chestnut & Princess streets
- Princess Street between North Front & North Water streets (access to Water St. Center Parking lot via Princess St. & N Front St. (controlled)
- Southbound Front Street between Princess St. &
- Southbound Front Street between North Third & Dawson streets (cross streets of, Nun, Ann, Orange, Dock, Market, Princess Chestnut, Grace, Walnut, Hanover, Brunswick, Harnett & Cowan streets open to vehicular traffic with controlled crossing by WPD and event volunteers)
- Westbound Orange Street between South Front & South Water streets
- Church Street at South Front Street
- Queen Street at South Front Street
- Northbound South Front Street between Burnett Boulevard/Carolina Beach Road and Dawson Street.
- South Front Street on-ramp to Cape Fear Memorial Bridge / westbound U.S. 74/76
- Greenfield Street between South Front Street & South Fifth Avenue / West Lakeshore Drive (eastbound lane open for resident/business access to South Front Street residents/businesses on Greenfield Street/North Second Street.)
- Northbound Nutt Street between Red Cross & Harnett streets
- Nutt Street Extension between Cowan Street & Harnett Street
- (Lane closure) Inside lane of W. Lakeshore Dr., from S 5th St. to Woodland Ave. – no vehicular traffic clockwise around Greenfield Lake
