Dashing monsters will close Summit Avenue, Mississippi River Boulevard early Saturday morning

Motorists beware! Early Saturday morning various monsters, ghosts, ghouls, and assorted creatures and super heroes will be running down Summit Avenue in the Monster Dash road race. The race course leaves from the St. Paul Cathedral at 8:30 a.m. and heads west to Mississippi River Boulevard. The course then turns south and east to downtown St. Paul along Shepard Road. Summit Avenue will be closed at 8 a.m. and will reopen about 10:30 a.m.

By: University of St. Thomas News Service

Published on: Thursday, October 27th, 2011 at 12:01 am

Negotiating the roads to attend Saturday’s Tommie-Gustie football game may be more complicated than a fake-double-reverse flea flicker – if you plan to arrive before 10:30 a.m.

This Saturday, Oct. 29, Team Ortho Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes fitness and orthopedic research, is sponsoring its annual Monster Dash. The event’s half marathon and 10-mile races share the same course, which begins at the Cathedral of St. Paul, proceeds west on Summit Avenue, then south on Mississippi River Boulevard to Shephard Road, and then east on Shephard to downtown St. Paul. Most of the participants will be wearing Halloween costumes.

The race course will be shut down beginning at 8 a.m., with the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. North-south streets along this route, such as Snelling, Fairview, Cleveland and Cretin, will be closed at Summit. The full width of Mississippi River Boulevard south of Summit also will be closed.

Because of the road closures, those coming to campus during this time should plan accordingly. The roads will remain closed until about 10:30 a.m.

North-south access to bypass Summit Avenue is available via Ayd Mill Road, I-35E or through downtown St. Paul.

Additionally, those traveling on Saturday through the other parts of St. Paul along Mississippi River Boulevard or Shephard Road should pay special attention to the road closures along these streets.

The above road closures will not affect those attending the football game or Purple on the Plaza if they plan to arrive after 10:30 a.m.

Football parking

The undefeated and No. 3-ranked St. Thomas football team will be host to Gustavus Adolphus at 1:10 p.m. Saturday.

Saturday parking notes:

Lot M will be closed from 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for tailgating.
Lot G will be closed from 5 to 11 a.m. for an Admissions event.
The Anderson Parking Facility will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for free parking.
Lot B will be restricted for special permit parking, including handicapped parking. (Additional handicapped parking will be added to the lot.)
Access to ramps R-2 and R-3 will be available for holders of Morrison resident ramp parking permits.

This article was posted at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 and is filed under University News.