The L.A. Marathon returns again this Sunday, bringing not only runners through L.A. neighborhoods, but also temporary parking restrictions, bus route detours and road closures for drivers, motorcyclists and bicyclists.
Racers will start at 6:55 a.m., starting with the wheelchair racers and hand cyclists runners begin at 7:24 a.m. The route starts at Dodger Stadium and races westward along Sunset Boulevard through Silver Lake, then along Hollywood Boulevard through Little Armenia and down Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevard through West Hollywood to the finish line at California Avenue.
For those living, working or planning to travel in the race closure area from early Sunday morning to as late as 6 p.m., be prepared to take detour routes and move your parked car:
1) The night before: If you live or park your car along the race route, watch out for temporary parking restrictions and road closures starting as early as 4 a.m. While the marathon is in progress from 7 a.m. to around 4 p.m., no vehicles will be allowed on the route or in some areas, a few blocks north and south of the route. Check the map above for all closures.
For those living along this race closure area who plan to drive a vehicle on Sunday, park your car the night before outside of the closure zone.
Do not park your car on the race course or these no-parking zones–you may get towed. Think your car got towed? For city of Los Angeles, call 1-866-TOWAWAY; in West Hollywood, 1-323-5421; in Beverly Hills, 1-310-550-4951; and in Santa Monica, 1-310-458-8595.
2) For those driving north or south of the race on Sunday, it will be especially difficult to travel on arterial roads north-south across the marathon course.
To cross north-south across the marathon, in the westside area, the City of Santa Monica recommends:
* From north to south of San Vicente: Use 7th St. or northbound Ocean Ave. to access PCH and the Interstate-10.
* From south to north of San Vicente: Use 405 or PCH.
On the eastside, the marathon detour map recommends:
* In Silver Lake: Use the Myra Avenue underpass
* In Echo Park: Use the Silver Lake Blvd. underpass
* In Downtown and Chinatown: Use Spring St. and Alameda St.
* In West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, from south to north: Head east on Beverly Blvd., Melrose Ave., Santa Monica Blvd. (east of Fairfax Ave.) or Sunset Blvd. (east of Highland Ave.) to get onto the northbound 101.
* In Beverly Hills and Hollywood Hills, from north to south: For those on the east side, head east on Hollywood Blvd. to Franklin Ave. to get onto the southbound 101. For those on the west side, take Sunset Blvd. west to get onto the southbound 405.
3) On Sunday: Beware of using Google Maps for planning your travel route. Especially for those planning to use the bus this weekend, Google Maps and NexTrip will not take the bus route detours and closures into consideration, according to Metro. For those riding bus or rail: Starting as early as 4 a.m. until 6 p.m., many crosstown bus routes will be detoured. Many of the most popular rapid and regular bus lines traveling east-west, including the 720/20 along Wilshire Bouleavard, two along Sunset, 733/33 along Venice Boulevard, Beverly and Third Street will not be running between the course area. Check the Metro advisory page for specific detours for each bus line, including the 2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 20, 26, 28, 30, 33, 40, 45, 48, 55, 60, 68, 70/71, 78/79, 76, 81, 83, 84, 90, 92, 96, 105, 156, 180/181, 200, 201, 204, 207, 210, 212, 217, 222, 485/487 routes.
In the westside area, the Big Blue Bus will run all lines, except Route 4 from Brentwood and 9 from Pacific Palisades. Check here for specific Big Blue Bus detours and their map of Santa Monica area bus hub detours. The Culver City Bus line 6 will not stop along Sepulveda at Santa Monica Boulevard, Ohio Avenue, Westwood Community Center and Salvation Army.
The Silver Line, 745 (Broadway Metro Rapid), 754 (Vermont Metro Rapid), 534 along Pacific Coast Highway, 550 San Pedro-West Hollywood will be disrupted as well.
Metro will provide free shuttle buses in Culver City and Santa Monica for those who want to take the Expo Line to travel east-west across town. Get on the westward bus at Washington Blvd., just south of the station, or the eastward bus at 11th and Olympic Boulevard in Santa Monica. The Expo Line, the new light rail line that runs from Culver City to South Park along Exposition Boulevard, will run every six minutes with three rail cars.
4) For those driving on Sunday: Check the closure map above for alternative detour route options and freeway ramp closures. The race starts at 6:55 a.m. Streets will begin to re-open as early as 10:15 a.m., as racers make their way towards Santa Monica. Non-race streets will also be closed or only open for local access. Check for specific road closures and opening times.
Various freeway on and off-ramps on the northbound and southbound 101 from Echo Park to Hollywood, northbound and southbound 110 near Dodger’s Stadium, southbound 405 at Santa Monica Blvd. and the California Incline at PCH will be closed as well. The 10 freeway ramps are not affected. Check for specific ramp closure and opening times.
5) For those in Santa Monica on Sunday: Parking in Santa Monica’s public lots will be limited starting late Saturday night. Check the City of Santa Monica parking website and their ParkMe.com app (Android users click here) to read closure details and check lot status. Check here for parking prices.
Although the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market is still on, there will not be any free, validated beach parking on Sunday. For spectators and runners, local restaurants and attractions including American Apparel, Aveda Salon, Segway tours and Border Grill, are advertising special marathon deals.
For those driving to work to Santa Monica, the Big Blue Bus will have complimentary shuttles from the bus hub at 11 St. and Olympic Blvd. to various points around downtown Santa Monica, as far as 6th St.
Bicycle riders, remember, the road closures also apply to bicyclists. The city will provide free bike valet from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Washington Ave. and Ocean Ave. The Bike Center will also have valet from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.The city recommends these routes:
* From north to south towards Santa Monica: 2nd, 5th, 6th or 7th Streets.
* From east to west towards Santa Monica: Washington Ave., California Ave., Arizona Ave. or Ocean Park Blvd.
* From south to north towards Santa Monica: Main St.
6) Want to watch the runners? Consider a Metro day pass, $5 with a TAP Card. These Metro stations are close to mile-markers along the route:
* Chinatown Gold Line Station: Mile 2
* Union Station Red Line Station: Mile 2
* Little Tokyo/Arts District Station: Mile 3
* Civic Center Red Line Station: Mile 3
* Vermont/Santa Monica Red Line Station: Mile 8
* Vermont/Sunset Red Line Station: Mile 8
* Hollywood/Western Red Line Station: Mile 9
* Hollywood/Vine Station: Mile 10
* Hollywood/Highland Station: Mile 11
For recommended times for spectators, check the Spectator Guide.
For those who want to get to the finish line in Santa Monica, take the Expo Line to the last station the Culver City Station and take one of the free Metro bus shuttles from Washington Blvd. More information here on the free shuttles.
