Friday street closings
Newark streets near UD campus to be closed for annual Reindeer Run and Romp
8:40 a.m., Dec. 2, 2015--Several streets surrounding the University of Delaware campus will be closed for the 10th annual Special Olympics Delaware Reindeer Run and Romp scheduled for Friday evening, Dec. 4.
Also that evening, additional traffic is anticipated downtown as the University’s Academy Building Lawn will be the site of the city of Newark’s annual Winterfest, scheduled from 6-8 p.m.
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Winterfest will feature holiday entertainment, caroling, a tree lighting and ice carving demonstrations. The event is a joint effort of the Newark Parks and Recreation Department, UD and the Downtown Newark Partnership.
The 5K Reindeer Run and Romp will begin at 7 p.m. at the Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Co. station on Academy Street.
Drivers in the area should plan alternate routes as streets will be closed to make way for runners and walkers.
Academy Street between Main Street and Delaware Avenue will close to traffic at 4:30 p.m.
Academy Street between Delaware Avenue and Lovett Avenue will close to traffic at 5 p.m.
The remainder of Academy Street, Courtney Street, Ashley Road, South Chapel Street between Wyoming and Ashley, Wyoming Road between South Chapel and Duke Street, Waterworks, Wollaston Avenue and Kells Avenue between Wollaston and Academy will close approximately 6:55 p.m. through the end of the run and walk. As the final walker passes each intersection, the roads will re-open.
Typically the roads will be open again around 8:30 p.m. with the exception of Academy Street between Main Street and Delaware Avenue.
University of Delaware Police will have officers posted at the exit of the Perkins garage and each parking lot. Officers will allow cars to go as it becomes safe, but motorists likely will have to wait for extended periods of time.
Also, UD shuttle bus detours will be in effect during the event.
North South College Avenue route and West Loops will be unaffected.
North South Academy Street will avoid Perkins Student Center, the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory and Elliott Hall from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
East Loops will detour beginning at 5 p.m. Upon leaving Perkins Student Center, buses will make the u-turn through Alison Hall and proceed to Chapel Street via Ashley/Courtney Street. The remainder of the route should be unaffected through its completion.
Evening 1 will avoid Perkins Student Center, the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory and Elliott Hall until after 8:30. (If Academy Street between Delaware and Main is still blocked, go to Haines Street to access Main Street.)
Evening 2 will detour as follows: For the seconnd and third loops only (not the first), upon leaving Smith Hall southbound toward School Lane, the route will skip School Lane, instead making a u-turn in the GSB parking lot, and then return to Smith northbound; from Smith, it will head up North College Avenue to Cleveland Avenue, travel directly to White Clay and Pinebrook, and from there complete the route normally. Passengers may be discharged at the Main Street Courtyard stop if they need to go to College Square. By the fourth loop, the route should return to normal.
Held in conjunction with Winterfest, the Reindeer Run and Romp is a competitive, chip-timed 5K course through downtown Newark, the UD campus and the James F. Hall Trail. For race information, visit the Special Olympics website.
Article by Michelle Rind