TRAFFIC: Section of Water Street shut down, may impact 10 Mile Road Race

THUNDER BAY – Problems with the pedestrian overpass has prompted the closure of a portion of one of the city’s busiest streets.

Water Street has been temporarily closed between Red River Road and Van Norman Street by the City of Thunder Bay due to a weld on a section of one of the framed glass panels being detached on the overpass to Prince Arthur’s Landing.

The closure could impact one of the city’s largest running races of the year, as the closure falls in the middle of the Firefighters’ Ten Mile Road Race course, which is scheduled for Monday morning.

Race director Meghan Shanks says there is a back-up plan in place that involves a minor deviation with the course where runners will have to move up to Cumberland Street to bypass the closure.

“Plan B is that we will be turning left on Park Avenue and we will be going along Cumberland until Van Norman Street where we will be turning right and then taking a left back onto Water Street,” Shanks said.

After getting back on Water Street runners will proceed as normal to Prince Arthur’s Landing before turning back around as scheduled at the five mile mark. Runners would again make the same detour on the way back to the Simpson Street start-finish line.

Shanks added organizers should know by Sunday evening whether or not they will have to change the course for the 81st installment of the city’s oldest running event.

“I think at this point it is realistic that it’s a possibility we might have to go with Plan B on Monday,” she said. “Right now we’re holding tight and hoping the race could proceed as normal.”

Organizers have said they expect close to 1,000 runners to participate Monday morning.