El Tour de Tucson road closures across city Friday & Saturday

Sections of major streets in Tucson will close on Friday and Saturday to make way for cyclists competing in this year’s El Tour de Tucson, the single-day bike race that attracts thousands. The event, which takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving, attracts more than 7,000 participants and raises more than $100 million for local and international charities each year.

Drivers will lose access to Tucson roadways in Midtown and Downtown as well as parts of the East and South sides. Most of the closures will last from Friday morning to Saturday evening.

A nearly half-mile stretch of Crushing Street from Stone Avenue to El Paso Avenue, which goes along the south side of the Tucson Convention Center, will be closed in both directions starting on Friday at 6 a.m. It will be the first closure for the race, which will start and end at the TCC.

All other closures will be on Saturday, the day of the race, but will affect streets throughout Tucson. Downtown side streets will also be closed, according to the city of Tucson.

Sixth Avenue will be closed in both directions from 22nd Street to Broadway starting 6 a.m. Saturday.

Aviation Parkway will be closed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday heading eastbound from Broadway to Golf Links Road, which cuts off several lanes of the highway that take drivers directly into Downtown.

Valencia Road on the South Side will be highly restricted on Saturday in both directions from Kolb Road to Houghton Road and heading eastbound from Houghton Road to Old Spanish Trail.

Other closures from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday also include:

• Wilmot Road heading southbound from Golf Links Road to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
• Kolb Road heading southbound from Escalante Road to Valencia Road.
• Nicaragua Drive, Calle Polar and Escalante Road heading eastbound from Wilmot Road to Kolb Road
• On the East Side, Houghton Road will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon to drivers heading southbound from Mary Ann Cleveland Way/Old Vail Road to Sahuarita Road.

Additional closures, include:

The Interstate 10 eastbound exit at Houghton Road

Houghton Road heading both northbound and southbound at the I-10: Houghton Road Traffic Interchange

The following roadways will be “highly restricted” on Saturday, according to the city of Tucson:

• Mary Ann Cleveland Way heading westbound from Colossal Cave Road to Houghton Road
• Houghton Road going northbound from Mary Ann Cleveland Way to Valencia Road

On the South Side, the following roadways will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday:

• Valencia Road going westbound from Benson Highway to Alvernon Way.
• The eastbound exit of Interstate 10 at Valencia Road and Sixth Avenue.
• Alvernon Way heading southbound from Valencia Road to Aerospace Parkway.
• Sixth Avenue/Nogales Highway heading northbound from 22nd Street to Sahuarita Road.

All roadways closed for the event should reopen by 5 p.m., according to the city of Tucson, or after the last rider passes finishes the race.

Emergency service vehicles, such as ambulances, will still be able to travel through the closures.

Pedestrian and bicycle paths will stay open through and around the road closures. Businesses, parking garages and parking lots will also stay open and accessible.

El Tour de Tucson is the largest and longest-running bicycling event in Arizona. This year will mark the 39th annual race. The race includes a four different routes that all start and end at the Tucson Convention Center — a 102-mile, 62-mile and 32-mile routes for racers and a Fun Ride.

People should arrive early to the race to avoid detours for the event. Drivers will likely have to deal with long traffic delays because of the event.