The Morro Bay Police Department and other local agencies are gearing up for the Ironman triathlon this weekend.
Chief Amy Watkins with the Morro Bay Police Department says her main goal is to ensure the event runs safely again this year.
“We’re not going to be closing any kind of roadways,” Watkins said. “The only roadway that is closed is in Morro Bay and that’s on the Embarcadero.”
Chief Watkins says with the exception of the Embarcadero, drivers will have access to all other roads during the Ironman triathlon.
“State Parks roadway is going to be open,” Watkins said. “It’s going to be under one lane. Our main street coming into town is going to be open, but it’s going to be under one lane, so you’re going to be able to move around Morro Bay.”
As athletes make their way to the finish line, additional lanes may have to be closed causing some delays, but traffic will still be able to get through.
“There are some shoulder closures,” Watkins said. “There are some lane closures here in Morro Bay on Highway 1, but the roads are open. There’s going to be some cones. There’s going to be small delays. All we ask is that you pay attention. There’s going to be riders on the course.”
The organizers and the police department are trying to respond to some of the complaints from residents after the first Ironman triathlon last year.
“I have to park about 3 or 4 streets up, which is fine,” said Lillian Carney, Morro Bay resident. "I really hope it impacts the businesses well and there’s a lot of people and new people in town, but we do have to travel a bit to get down to the Embarcadero.”
“Last year, I was working further down on the Embarcadero and so I think I ended up getting dropped off and walking down a few blocks because there were a few roads blocked that I couldn’t make it down, but the rest of it went pretty much smoothly,” said Dylan Bueno, Morro Bay resident.
The Ironman 70.3 Morro Bay race director, Tom Cotton, says they've also tried to keep residents better informed this year.
“We try to do as much outreach as we possibly can,” Cotton said. “The chief and I and some other city members have had community member meetings that we hosted 60 days and 30 days out from the event to get any information that we can out to the folks.”
Chief Watkins says that multiple agencies such as California State Parks, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other law enforcement agencies in San Luis Obispo County will be assisting with the event.
“We will have a lot of those law enforcement personnel out here and all I ask is that people be patient with us,” Watkins said. “It might be a delay of 5 to 10 minutes but just listen to the officers because we really are trying to keep the athletes safe as well as the drivers out of trouble.”
The no parking zones near the Embarcadero will be enforced between the hours of 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
