Police are warning motorists and residents of major road closures in Sydney CBD and Pyrmont ahead of this weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon.
The event will start at 6.45am on Sunday (21 May 2017), on College Street adjacent to St Marys Cathedral and take runners through many of Sydney’s major landmarks, NSW Police say.
The course covers 21.1km and runs via Macquarie Street, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Millers Point and the Western Distributor to Pyrmont, then returns via Sussex and Kent Streets, the Cahill Expressway, Macquarie Street and Royal Botanic Gardens finishing at Hyde Park North.
A high-visibility police operation will be in place for the event to ensure the safety of participants and spectators, with a focus on minimising the impact of the event on the wider community.
Sydney City Local Area Commander, Acting Superintendent David Richards, said runners are encouraged to use public transport to get to the start line on time.
"The Cahill Expressway, sections of the Western Distributor, and roads in the vicinity of Hyde Park, Royal Botanic Gardens and Pyrmont, will be closed from 4am," Acting Supt Richards said.
"The rest of the race route, including College, Macquarie, Sussex, Kent, Bridge, Grosvenor and Harrington Streets as well as sections of George Street and Hickson Road, will begin closing from 5am; with the course completely locked down by 6.45am."
While roads are closed, buses will be diverted and may use temporary stops and some services may experience delays. Allow extra travel time or consider catching a City Circle train instead.
The closest railway station is St James. Visit www.transportnsw.info or call 131 500 for the latest information and to plan your trip on public transport.
"Further closures along George Street are already in place for work on the CBD and South East Light Rail project," Acting Supt Richards said.
"For anyone who must drive, allow additional travel time as significant delays are expected, particularly if using the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Harbour Tunnel," Acting Supt Richards said.
Special-event clearways will be in place from 3am to 10.30am, so check signs before parking as vehicles parked in these clearways will be towed and fines apply.
For detailed information about special event road closures and clearways, including road closure maps and detour routes, visit www.livetraffic.com.
More information about Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon can be found on the official event website: www.smhhalfmarathon.com.au.
