UWG News Archive

Tour de Georgia will affect access to campus

April 8, 2004

CARROLLTON, GA - The third leg of the Dodge Tour de Georgia cycling race will begin in Carroll County on the campus of the University of West Georgia on Thursday, April 22, necessitating parking and traffic flow changes to accommodate the event.

The 641-mile race is the premier, professional cycling event in America and will feature 128 cyclists from the U.S. and other countries. Lance Armstrong, five-time Tour de France champion, will be among the cyclists who use this event as training for the Tour de France and the Olympic Games.

Ken O’Neill, president and CEO of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, noted that it is an honor for our community to be a host city and the University will benefit significantly by hosting the start.

“A key part of the race each day is the official start as much of the media attention will be focused there,” he said. “The value of the media exposure for the University can’t be measured.”

According to Tom Mackel, director of UWG Public Safety, students coming to campus on April 22 will need to be aware of the road closings and adjust their travel schedules accordingly in order to be on time for classes.

The race will begin on Front Campus Drive at 9:30 a.m. with the riders exiting out the drive entrance, turning right onto Maple Street and proceeding to the 166 By-Pass. The riders will turn left onto 166E and travel to Ben Scott Boulevard where they will turn left to ride through the Carrollton City Schools complex.

The route then crosses Highway 27 and proceeds to Dixie Street, left on Dixie to Newnan Road, left to Adamson Square, and then out Highway 16 to Mt. Zion. They will complete their day in Rome.

In order to accommodate the Tour, several roads must be closed between 9:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Mackel pointed out that each location should be held up for only approximately 15 minutes.

These roads include the following: Hwy166 West at Hwy 27, Hwy. 166 from Bowdon at the By-pass, Maple Street at the east entrance of west Georgia Drive at McDonalds (vehicles will be able to access the campus at the east entrance), and all roads in between these main roads will be blocked as well. The campus will be accessible from the north and east entrances.

According to Mackel, race officials expect hundreds of visitors to watch the start of the race and they will be directed to the Tyus, Z-6 and Old Band Field parking lots on campus. Public Safety will be running the “Red Route” shuttle to Front Campus. Public Safety officers will be working traffic to assist the visitors in exiting the campus following the race’s start.

For more information concerning the Dodge Tour de Georgia, contact the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce at 770-832-2446. For more information concerning access to the UWG campus, contact UWG Public Safety at 770-836-6600.

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