Runners pounding the streets in last year’s Waterside Half Marathon
The 41st edition of the event is hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council and will see up to 2,700 runners complete the 13.1 mile course and a number of traffic restrictions and temporary speed limits will be in place to facilitate them.
Runners will leave Ebrington Square at 9.30am and will finish back there from 10.40am until 1pm.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Lillian Seenoi-Barr, urged anyone who will be in the vicinity of the route on Sunday morning to familiarise themselves with the arrangements.
“This year’s Waterside Half Marathon sold out weeks in advance and we are delighted to be able to accommodate a record field this Sunday morning,” said Mayor Barr.
“The majority of the route is along the city’s greenway network however I would encourage motorists to familiarise themselves with the temporary traffic restrictions in place to keep disruption to a minimum.
“I want to thank everyone in advance for their co-operation and wish all the runners well in pursuing their personal goals.”
Runners will depart from Ebrington Square at 9.30am and travel along the following roads, bridges and greenways where traffic may be affected.
The affected areas of the course are: Ebrington Access Road, St Columb’s Road to its junction with Browning Drive, King Street to its junction with St Columb’s Road, Waterside Link from Duke Street to King Street, Lower Deck Craigavon Bridge, Foyle Road, Foyleside Roundabout, Foyle Embankment, Peace Bridge, the Waterside Greenway onto the Strathfoyle Greenway into Strathfoyle Village by Stradown Drive.
The course then takes the runners along Temple Road to its Junction with the A2, the A2 Dual Carriageway (southbound), Foyle Bridge (westbound), Lower Culmore Road, Bay Road Park and back along the Greenway over the iconic Peace Bridge to finish.
To ensure the safety of runners, spectators and other road users it will be necessary to introduce temporary traffic restrictions for a short time, these have been carefully selected in consultation with PSNI and Roads Service to minimise delay and inconvenience for residents and traffic.
Some disruption is inevitable but to minimise this and avoid delays the public are asked to consider avoiding travelling along the affected route during the event.
If you must travel during the event, please follow the signed diversions and allow some extra time for your journey and follow the instructions of the police and race marshals.
Motorists should also note that their will be a temporary speed limit of 20 mph on the Foyle Bridge East bound and for North bound traffic on the A2 up to Temple Road while runners pass through.
Residents along the route can help alleviate congestion by parking vehicles off the road for the duration of the race.
Greenway users, particularly those with dogs, should be aware that the network will be congested on Sunday morning as runners pass through, the peak period for runners is approximately from 9.30am – 1pm.
The Peace Bridge will be closed to pedestrian traffic from 9am – 1.00pm however runners can use it to access the start line if they wish to park in the city side where there are more spaces available than the Waterside.
On the city side there are paid carparks available in the multi-stories at Foyleside and Quayside Shopping Centres while, along the quay, the Council Car Park and Queen’s Quay Car Parks are open to the public and are free of charge.
In the Waterside there are limited spaces available at the Foyle Arena, Oak Grove Primary, Duke Street and Old Bridge House.
Accessible car parking is available at the Acorn Farm Gatelodge site which is accessible from the main avenue to St Columb’s Park House.
A council spokesperson said: “As the event is on a Sunday morning it may be prudent to allow a little extra time to reach Church services on time.
“Passengers intending to take the 9.38am train service to Belfast are also advised to allow extra time for their journey if they are traveling to the NW Transport Hub by road and to familiarise themselves with the road closures.
“We apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused to you by these traffic restrictions and we will make every effort to minimise disruption.
“The Waterside Half Marathon is sold out, for race information including pack collection, race instructions and a map of the route visit: derrystrabane.com/whm
For further information, please contact the Events Team on 02871 253253 or [email protected].
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