Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Skyway 10K Run on Sunday, 4 March 2018

As you are probably aware, the Skyway 10K Run will be taking place the morning of Sunday, 4 March 2018.  The run will take place in the morning hours utilizing the northbound lanes of the Sunshine Skyway.

From 4 AM to about 10 AM the northbound lanes of the Sunshine Skyway carrying Interstate 275 traffic in the direction of St. Petersburg will be closed for the event.  What that means is during those hours if you need to get from Bradenton, Ellenton, Parrish or anywhere in Manatee County to St. Petersburg you will have to use Interstate 75 north to either the Selmon Crosstown Expressway or Interstate 4 in Tampa and head west across the Howard Frankland or Gandy Bridges into St. Petersburg.

Southbound Interstate 275 traffic crossing the Sunshine Skyway is not affected; however, traffic delays are quite possible.  If you are headed to the Florida Railroad Museum, especially for the 2 PM Murder Mystery Dinner Train, you will want to keep on reading.

As traffic delays are possible even after the Skyway 10K Run has ended, if you are coming from St. Petersburg for Sunday's Murder Mystery Dinner Train at the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish you will want to leave early and give yourself extra time to get to the museum's station facilities in Parrish so that you can pick up your tickets at the ticket office and gift shop and be in the boarding area ready to board the train.  Boarding for the Murder Mystery Dinner Train begins at 1:30 PM and the train departs at 2 PM.  Same thing if you are going to the Florida Railroad Museum for their regularly scheduled 11 AM train ride - again, if you're coming from St. Petersburg be sure to leave early and give yourself extra time to get your tickets.

To recap, the Skyway 10K Run will be held on the morning of Sunday, 4 March 2018.  Only the northbound lanes of Interstate 275 crossing the Sunshine Skyway will be closed for the duration of the event, reopening sometime around 10 AM.  The southbound lanes are not affected, but traffic delays are possible especially during and for some time after the event.

On the other hand, if you are participating in the Skyway 10K Run, it is very important that you attend their pre-race expo being held at Tropicana Field the day before the race (Saturday, 3 March 2018) as the race organizers will give you your race packet and your bus assignment.  The Skyway 10K Run web site has all the details you need.

Whether you're headed south across the Sunshine Skyway to ride the Murder Mystery Dinner Train at the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish or you are one of the few participating in the Skyway 10K Run on Sunday, 4 March 2018, be safe and have fun!