Riders won’t arrive in Iowa City until Friday, July 27, but streets downtown will starting shutting down on early Thursday morning, July 26, as preparations for Iowa City’s big RAGBRAI party. Iowa Avenue between Clinton and Dubuque streets, and Clinton between Jefferson and Washington streets, will close at 6 a.m. on Thursday for the Book It to Iowa City Bash.
More streets will shut down the next morning. Starting at 3 a.m. on RAGBRAI Friday these following streets will be closed to traffic:
• Clinton Street from Bloomington to Burlington streets
• Dubuque Street from Jefferson to Washington streets
• Linn Street from Iowa Avenue to College Street
• Iowa Avenue from Gilbert to Clinton streets
• Washington Street from Gilbert to Clinton streets
The 300 block of E College Street will only be accessible from Linn Street starting at 3 a.m. on that Friday.
The Book It to Iowa City Bash will be a block party covering eight blocks downtown from noon to midnight on July 27. Beer (including craft beers), wine coolers, hard lemonade and hard cider will be available the eight-block party area. Anyone of drinking age interested in taking this opportunity to (legally) walk around downtown while drinking alcohol will need a special wristband, available at all of the seven entrances to the party area. Wristbands are $10, but free for anyone with an official RAGBRAI wristband, underage patrons and patrons who do not intend to drink alcohol.
Entertainment for the bash starts on the stage at Washington and Linn streets at 11 a.m., and music on the mainstage at 4 p.m. A complete list of performers and other activities can be found on the Iowa City RAGBRAI site.
In addition to the street closures for the party, there will be some streets shutting down as RAGBRAI riders arrive on Friday and depart on Saturday. The Iowa City Police list the following planned closures:
• Gilbert Street from Highway 6 to Burlington; expect closures with the flow of bikes
• Gilbert Street from Burlington to Market Street
• Gilbert Street from Jefferson to Highway 6; closed to southbound traffic on Saturday only
• 300 block of E. Market Street between Gilbert and Linn
• Iowa Avenue westbound will be reduced to one lane between Madison and Riverside Drive, open to passenger vehicles no large trucks.
• Riverside Drive from Highway 6 to River Street; closed to northbound traffic
In a press release, ICPD also cautioned that “several large charter groups will host thousands of cyclists in the Mercer Park area. To access the camp space, riders will travel Highland Avenue to Lower Muscatine Road to Mall Drive to First Avenue to Bradford Drive. It is advised that drivers avoid this area.”
