The IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon is only days away and will bring thousands to the Tri-Cities. It will also bring a slew of road closures, detours and delays that you may want to plan for. 

The competition begins at 6:27 a.m. on Sept. 21 at Howard Amon Park though the cities of Richland, West Richland and Kennewick along with Benton County will begin putting traffic control measures in place as early as 3:30 a.m. and lasting as late as 1 p.m. 

The swim and run portions that bookend the competition will highly impact central Richland from Columbia Point Marina and much of George Washington Way. The 56-mile bike route will create the most traffic impacts, especially in these three areas: 

• George Washington Way will see heavy bike usage from about 6:55 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Some lanes will remain open but avoid the area if you can.  
• Queensgate area will have cyclists cruising through from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  
• West Richland from the top of Belmont Boulevard and Paradise Way to Bombing Range Road and Van Giesen Street will be busy from 8:06 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. 

Visit Tri-Cities advises residents complete errands and reschedule deliveries in impacted areas ahead of race day. If travel in and around the race routes are needed that day, expect delays. 

“After 1:00 PM, it’s back to business as usual! The roads will be clear, and you can resume your normal driving adventures,” the tourism agency said in a statement. 

For maps and more traffic information, visit the Visit Tri-Cities IRONMAN 70.3 Washington Tri-Cities website.