The Vinton RAGBRAI Safety Committee has been receiving questions and comments concerning the RAGBRAI ride-through, which takes place Thursday, July 26. Committee Chairman Dave Redlinger is sharing the following information about the route and other issues related to the event, including traffic control and parking:

Vinton Safety Committee

RAGBRAI Pass Through Plan Outline

 

The Safety Committee has developed a comprehensive plan to address the concerns regarding the RAGBRAI route through Vinton on July 26th.

 

Members:

David Redlinger – Chair

Mayor Watson, Ron Hessenius, Joe Wehage, Kristen Redlinger

           

Advisory members: Chief  Jeff Tilson, Sheriff Randy Forsyth,  Fire Chief Gary McKenna,  Scott Hanson – Benton County Emergency Management, Jeff and Amber Bonlander – North Benton Ambulance, Rick Erickson - Streets Superintendent,  Mary Jo Hainstock – V/S Superintendent;  Mike Riege – Virginia Gay Hospital Administrator

    

 

The Route:  

 

The RAGBRAI riders will be coming into Vinton on Hwy 218 from the north.  Once into town, they will turn east on 4th Street to the down town festivities.    The route will continue east on 4th street and then turn south on 8th Ave.   From there the riders will be directed to turn east on 13th street and head out of town toward Shellsburg on county road E24, commonly known as County Home Road.

 

Traffic Control:

 

We will provide traffic flaggers, including civilian volunteers and uniformed officers, at several key intersections along the route to allow for emergency vehicles and local traffic to cross.

·        West D. Ave & Hwy 218

·        West 3rd St   & Hwy 218

·        West 4th St  &  Hwy 218

·        4th St and C. Ave (Hwy 150) – Designated emergency vehicle crossing.

·        East 4th St and 8th Ave

·        8th Ave and 13th St.

 

We will be restricting cross traffic with temporary barricades at all of the other intersections along the route to ensure the safety of the riders as they move through town.  We are expecting the majority of the riders to be coming through Vinton between 11 am and 6 pm.   Our committee will be providing flaggers to assist with the traffic issues during that time.  

It is important to note that we will have riders coming through Vinton before and after these times, so we would ask the public to please use caution throughout the day to ensure everyone’s safety.

Parking:

We will be restricting some parking on the side streets around the down town area to assist with traffic flow and allow for emergency response vehicles enough room to pass through in the event of a fire or ambulance call in these areas.   These temporary restrictions will include the streets listed below:

·        1st Ave – from 4th street to 8th street.

·        A Ave – from 4th street to 8th street.

·        B Ave - from 4th street to 8th street.

·        West 5th street – from C. Ave to E. Ave

 

Support Vehicle Parking:

We are working on a plan to have as many of the rider support and team vehicles utilize the parking lots at Tilford Elementary School, Washington Middle School and the Vinton Skate Center.  We are hoping to have a shuttle service in place to take riders to and from the downtown area to help alleviate some of the parking and traffic congestion.

 

 

Emergency Management Planning:

 

We have outlined and coordinated our emergency management plans with the Vinton Police and Fire Departments, Benton County Sheriff’s office, North Benton Ambulance and Virginia Gay Hospital.   We have also developed an emergency response plan with Benton County Emergency Management in the event of a natural disaster.  This plan includes staffing levels, emergency response routes and communication plans in the event of an emergency.  

 

Ambulances will be staged at alternate locations within Vinton to ensure that the bicycle traffic does not impact their response time to an emergency call.   All emergency vehicles will utilize the C. Ave and 4th street intersection to cross the route.  Flaggers and uniformed officers will be on hand to assist with the traffic control as needed. 

 

 

Route Preparation:

 

The Vinton Streets department will be working to prepare the route through Vinton for the riders.   We want to do everything that we can to provide a safe and clean roadway for the riders.  This preparation will include filling pot holes as needed, marking storm sewer inlets and street cleaning prior the riders arriving.