IRONMAN 70.3 Coeur d’Alene brings closures and delays downtown

IRONMAN 70.3 Coeur d’Alene turned downtown into a maze of closures and delays as athletes swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and ran 13.1 miles through the city. For residents, workers and visitors trying to move around the lakefront, the biggest impacts came early and lasted most of the day.

Bike-course closures began as early as 5 a.m. and hit Sherman Avenue, Lakeside Avenue, Mullan Avenue, 23rd Street, Ashton Avenue, Northwest Boulevard and Government Way. Some stretches reopened at 10 a.m., but others stayed closed until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., depending on the segment, leaving a long window of disrupted access across the downtown core and nearby travel corridors.

Northwest Boulevard from U.S. Highway 95 to Hubbard Street was limited to local traffic only, with access off U.S. 95 only. Highway 95 South between Northwest Boulevard and Missile Base Road was posted at 45 mph during race hours, and the traffic notice warned drivers to expect slower travel on both sides of the highway corridor. That made the usual downtown approaches less useful for through traffic and pushed more pressure onto alternate routes farther from the race course.

Boaters faced a separate shutdown at the 3rd Street Boat Ramp and Launch Dock, a key public access point at 208 S. 3rd Street in the downtown waterfront area. The launch closed from 7 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., and vehicles or trailers taller than 7 feet 8 inches were barred from entering or leaving during that window. The restriction also affected the trailer parking and launch-fee area tied to the ramp, narrowing one of the city’s main lake access points for most of Sunday.

The run course was closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and included East Lakeshore Drive, Front Street, 15th Street, Ash Street, 14th Street, Lost Avenue, Young Avenue, 17th Street and 19th Street. Race-day operations began before sunrise, with transition opening at 4:30 a.m. and the age-group rolling start at 6 a.m. from Coeur d’Alene City Beach. Awards and the 70.3 World Championship slot allocation and rolldown ceremony were later set for Coeur d’Alene City Park, underscoring how fully the event occupied the city from the waterfront to the downtown streets.