More than 20,000 jubilant but exhausted marathon runners will finish the LA Marathon in Santa Monica next Sunday, and the city has announced road closures and parking rules to accomodate the event.
The city is encouraging race spectators to take public transportation, walk or bike to alleviate traffic, and to check the before leaving home. Click here to see the maps.
Visit www.smgov.net/lamarathon for information, specials and more; follow @santamonicacity on Twitter for race day updates.
Road Closures:
All street closures will begin at 12 a.m. March 18. The Santa Monica Police Department may begin reopening streets at the east end of the city around 3 p.m. San Vicente may be closed until 5 p.m. and Ocean Avenue may be closed until 9 p.m.
- Drivers will not be allowed to cross San Vicente at any street from 6 a.m. until authorities reopen the streets.
- Drivers will not be allowed to cross Ocean Avenue between San Vicente and Colorado from 6 a.m. until authorities reopen the streets.
- Westbound lanes on San Vicente will be open (again, no left turns allowed). Eastbound lanes will be closed.
- Ocean Avenue will be closed to all vehicle traffic between San Vicente and Colorado.
- Main Street will be closed between Pico Boulevard and Colorado to allow buses to return runners to downtown hotels.
Parking:
- Runner pre-sale parking at the Civic Center structure and lot costs $20 and can be purchased at LAMarathon.com until March 16. The lot opens at midnight March 18 and remaining unreserved spaces will cost $25 before 6 a.m. and $10 after 6 a.m.
- Spaces at the South Beach lots will open at midnight March 18 and cost $12. After 6 a.m., entry to the lots will cost the normal $7 weekend rate.
- Downtown lots 1-9 and the lot at 5th Street and Arizona will be closed from 12-7 a.m. March 18. The event rate is $5 per hour with a $15 maximum from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. After 6 p.m., drivers will be charged the normal $5 rate.
- Parking is also available at meters and private lots throughout the city.
- Read parking signs carefully for restrictions.
Buses:
- Big Blue Bus routes 4 and 9 will not be in service March 18. All other lines will run as close to schedule as possible. They will start and finish at 11th Street.
- A complimentary Big Blue Bus will drive a circle on 11th Street, Colorado, 6th Street and Wilshire in both directions, traffic permitting.
- Metro routes 704 and 720 will use Olympic Boulevard and connect with Big Blue Bus routes at 11th Street.
- The 534 Metro bus to and from Malibu will stop at Lincoln and Olympic.
- Specific route detours and stop closures are available on www.BigBlueBus.com and www.smgov.net/lamarathon on the “Transit” tab. Big Blue Bus customer service representatives will be available with real-time schedule, shuttle and detour information via phone at (310) 451-5444 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Taxis:
- Taxis can pick up riders at the valet and bus areas on 2nd and 4th Streets between Colorado and Broadway.
Complimentary Bike Valet:
- Valet your bike for free at the on 2nd Street and Colorado from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Check Santa Monica Patch this week for more updates on LA Marathon news and road closures.
