I thought I would share some good news. I was able to assist arranging support vehicle parking. This is a bit different than the past rides in a couple of ways. We are keeping the support vehicles away from the dip site and downtown. This keeps from having a traffic snafu. The individual rider pickup will also be away from the dip site for the same reason. Riders will be directed up river on both sides of the river on the MRT and GRT. Some riders will take the MRT (Mississippi River Trail) to the parking lots next to the Isle of Capri in Bettenporf, IA. Other will cross the Mississippi and take the GRT (Great River Trail) to the i wireless Center in Moline, IL. Both routes are about 4 miles upriver. Both are very scenic. Both parking areas are adjacent to the trails. To my knowledge this is the first time riders will cross into Illinois. Both parking areas are next to I74. So there should be easy and fast access and departure to the interstate. Showers are being arranged at both site. But have not been confirmed yet. While this adds a bit of riding after your ride officially ends at the dip site. I think you will enjoy the ride along the river. I don’t think the riders have gotten to do this before. We have an excellent trail system in the area. This is a chance to show some of it off. With the elimination of traffic problems. I hope this allows you to stay a bit longer and enjoy our community and river front.
Green Bridge Company Parking lots in Bettendorf
i wireless Center parking in Moline, IL
5 Replies
Thanks for the updateTony. This is a great idea. I’ve have ended my RAGBRAI a day short in other years because of concerns regarding the congestion at smaller end towns. Glad the town planning committee listened to the experienced local cycling community and addressed our concerns.
Hey Tony, better warn the drivers not to take I-74 from Moline to Bettendorf, or risk sitting in traffic for a good 30-45 minutes depending on time of day.
Information will be sent out to the teams. Traffic will be directed away from the bridge. Traffic flow to/from Bettendorf is I80. Traffic flow to/from Moline is I280. This will avoid all the construction. I drive across I74 every day to work. You can avoid the mess easily. They just open both lanes west bound. They will be doing eastbound soon. When that happens. I will take I280 to work. It adds about 5 minutes to my drive. People that get caught in the construction. Either ignore all the warning and detour signs. Or are traveling from Moline to the I74 corridor. The 5-10 minutes to detour on I80, I74, and Centennial Bridge is well worth it. The little bit of extra miles prevents a headache waiting in a traffic snafu.
I just heard that west bound I-74 is opened, good for getting to Bettendorf but now east bound drivers will have to go north on hwy67 to LeClaire and the I-80 bridge. Deja Vu???
so tony, how do the trucks and busses parks next to each other in these lots? We got [ut in the casino lot. How about the other people who need to meet us there, can they get into the lot?