Greeting Residents!
As we are sure you are aware, the City of Clinton will be hosting the final day of RAGBRAI XLVIIII on July 31st. Since it’s inception in 1973, more than 326,650 people have ridden the 19,542 miles that RAGBRAI has covered. We are excited to host the riders this year on their final day of the ride and provide a space for the coveted final dip!
Being such a large and popular ride, RAGRAI is expected to bring more than 10,000 people into town. There are thousands of riders along with many others whom drive along in support vehicles, vendors, buses, family members, and those who will transport equipment. to support all of the riders. You may remember years past when RAGBRAI has also come through town. Every time we host is a little bit different, so please review the following information so you are fully prepared for what is sure to be a congested day.
All of the following information is aimed at residents, businesses, and homeowners whom either live along or off of a road considered a main egress route that connects directly to the RAGBRAI route through town. The official RAGBRAI route will enter town along Main Avenue from the west (See Blue Route on Map). The riders will turn south on Pershing, continuing until 
reaching 9th Ave North and turning east towards the River where they will conclude their ride by dipping their tires at the 9th Ave north Boat Ramp. Please see the map printed in the latest edition of the Lighthouse. We expect to start having riders arrive into town around 8AM on Saturday morning with the bulk of riders to arrive later that morning.
In order to best accommodate riders into and through town, it will be necessary for a few road closures. The following roads will be closed:
>Mill Creek Parkway between 19th Ave NW & Main Ave
>Main Ave From Main Ave to 2nd Street (See Map for HWY 67 Detour)
>Riverview Drive from 9th Ave North to 6th Ave North
>6th Ave South from Riverview Drive to South 1st Street
>5th Ave South From Riverview Drive to South 1st Street>
>6th Ave North from Riverview Drive to 2nd Street
>South 5th Street from Liberty Ave to Lincoln Way
>Pershing Blvd (Main Ave-9th Ave N) will be closed to all automobile traffic
In addition to the main route, citizens should also expect to see a large number of cyclists in the downtown area and along the bike trails. In order to accommodate the route and the thousands of cyclists, some of the roads that would normally access the portion of the route along Main Ave or Pershing Boulevard will be closed. See the following traffic impacts:
Homes between 16- th St NW and North 11th St – If you have the ability to park elsewhere or limit the usage of your driveway on Saturday the 31stwe kindly request you do so, if you absolutely must use your car please exit your driveway when free of riders and safe, and proceed to either 19thAve North or to 16th St NW whichever is closest to your driveway. Please do not enter town via Main Ave.
West Stockwell Lane- Closed at Main Ave, all homeowners along North & – West Stockwell should exit via North 3rd Street Intersection.
Eagle Heights- Homes in the neighborhoods north of Main Ave should use – 25th Ave North to exit towards 3rd Street.
Homes Along Main Ave (11- th Street- Pershing Blvd.) & Pershing Blvd (Main Ave- 9th Ave N)- These homes will have a front row seat to the oldest, largest, and, longest recreational bike tour in the world. But those premiere seats do come with a bit of an admission fee. Homes along Main Ave & Pershing will not have any vehicle access to the front of their home. This means no street parking or driveway access during the ride. If your driveway is along this route or you normally park on the road we ask that you please park on the side streets from 7PM Friday until 5PM Saturday. Beginning at 7PM on Friday the Police Department will begin checking at to ensure the road is clear of parked cars. If you live on the north side of Main Ave and need access to your car we ask that you park across the street.
In addition to this local rerouting, there will be a larger more expansive detour for Highway 67 and 136. Westbound 136 will be detoured south down 2nd Street to 13thAve North and west to Elvira (See Green Route on Map). Northbound 67 will be detoured at Main and 2nd, north before turning west at 30th Ave North (See Red Route on Map).
We have put in our official request for good weather on Saturday the 31st of July. However, because it’s the Midwest, we have no idea if it will be approved so we are working to plan for anything. We have planned ahead and have two planned storm shelters at Eagle Heights School on Main Ave and The Masonic Lodge at the corner of 5th Ave South and South 1st Street. Should a severe storm spring up during the day of the ride, putting riders in peril, please do what you can to either direct riders to the locations of storm shelters or help them so they have a safe place to ride out the storm.
We recognize that we are asking a lot out of homeowners and businesses along the route. As a city however, the opportunity to host RAGBRAI, a storied and historic ride, does not come often. We politely ask that you work with us to avoid using the routes and intersections mentioned above so that we can provide a wonderful experience and leave a good impression on the riders visiting our city. We are proud to have the opportunity to get to host this ride and we ask that you work with us to leave a lasting positive impression on the riders and visitors to town on this day. We live here and have the opportunity to experience the beauty of our town every day, however, this may be the only time riders from across Iowa and beyond visit and we want to do everything in our power to show them what a great town Clinton truly is.
Should you have any questions please contact Clinton’s Convention and Visitors Bureau at cvb@clintonia.com.
