Heat May Affect Annual Verizon Wireless Classic

Plan your detours today if you’re going through Morristown. More than 4,000 will be participating in  Thursday’s annual Verizon Wireless Classic Challenge Road Race, according to a Morristown Police Department release. Here are the road closures:

• At 5:30 p.m. Mills Street will be closed from Early Street to Sussex Avenue and there will be limited access to residents only.
• At 5:30 p.m. Speedwell Avenue (Route 202) between Spring Street and North Park Place (the Green) will be closed.

As Morris County's largest fitness event, this Morristown-hosted event will benefit the Jersey Battered Women’s Service, Inc. Also, bring your old, unused wireless phones to donate at the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program phone drive, according to the road race’s website.

However, there may be changes in the race due to the heat advisory that has been in place all week. Weather.com predicts the temperature to peak at 95 degrees around 3 or 4 p.m. and it will remain in the low 90s when the race starts at 7:30 p.m.

Race Officials are closely monitoring the weather conditions because “the health and safety of the event's participants are of utmost importance to the event organizers,” according to the road race’s website. “Should the weather conditions warrant it, the event may become a non-timed and non-scored event featuring a Fun Run/Walk on an abbreviated course.” 

Emergency vehicle traffic coming North on Speedwell Avenue and East on Sussex Avenue should plan an alternate route. Bus traffic will be relocated to the Morristown Train Station, 122 Morris Street.

The following roads will be affected by this event.

• Speedwell Avenue
• Early Street
• Atno Avenue
• Harrison Street
• Mills Street
• Sussex Avenue
• Elliott Street
• Walker Avenue
• Ralph Place
• Willard Place
• Frederick Place
• Cutler Street
• Henry Street

Additional information can be obtained by visiting the Verizon Corporate Challenge web page http://verizonwirelessclassic.com/index.php