MARATHON'S RACING LANES TO CLOSE MANY CITY STREETS.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

The 18th annual Los Angeles Marathon and Acura L.A. Bike Tour will kick off Sunday morning, and with them will come several freeway off-ramp and street closures.

More than 23,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes and 17,000 cyclists are expected to participate in the marathon and bike tour. The route zigzags through much of Los Angeles between downtown and the Westside, and traffic will be impacted on many of the city's main thoroughfares.

``Residents in those areas should expect delays and be patient. This is a major event,'' said LAPD Sgt. John Pasquariello. ``We're also encouraging residents to come downtown and share the experience.''

A complete list of street closures can be found at the Los Angeles Marathon Web site, www.lamarathon.com. The primary closures include:

Street Closures

--Street closures will begin as early as 4 a.m. for the Acura L.A. Bike Tour and 5:30 a.m. for the marathon.

--Streets will begin to reopen at 10 a.m. on Figueroa Street between 4th Street and Wilshire Boulevard and will continue reopening throughout the day.

--By 12:15 p.m., Crenshaw and Venice boulevards, Figueroa Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be reopened.

--By 2 p.m., Venice, Pico, Robertson, San Vicente and Wilshire boulevards and Fairfax Avenue will reopen.

--By 4:15 p.m., Olympic Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Flower Street will reopen.

--The final leg of the race, on Flower Street between Olympic and Wilshire boulevards, will re-open at 5:15 p.m.

Freeway ramps

--Ramps along the Harbor (110) Freeway between Sixth Street and Exposition Boulevard will be closed at different intervals between 5 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

--Ramps along the Santa Monica (10) Freeway between Hoover Street and Robertson Boulevard will be closed at different intervals from 5 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

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CITY OF LOS ANGELES MARATHON XVIII COURSE