RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
LAKEVILLE, CT – In a surprise statement issued Wednesday morning, Lime Rock Park racetrack offered a broad apology for “an unacceptable traffic situation” on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 31 that “created long delays for our neighbors, guests, and anyone who was simply trying to pass through the area.”
Spectators headed to the Sunday in the Park Concours d’Elegance and Gathering of the Marques car show over the Labor Day Weekend found themselves backed up and barely moving heading westbound to the racetrack on state Route 112 from Route 7.
While a backup on the road is not uncommon when the racetrack holds events, the congestion that morning was unusually significant “as thousands of people took advantage of the beautiful weather to come to Lime Rock Park.”
Dickey Riegel, Lime Rock Park’s president and CEO, said in the statement, “I apologize directly to the community for the inconvenience caused by all that traffic.”
He further explained, “We did not anticipate as many attendees on Sunday as we attracted” and that traffic plans used on other days that include the use of additional parking lots at Lime Rock park were not in place for the car show.
The backup stretched nearly 1 ½ miles on Route 112 and traffic was frequently at a standstill. Entrance to Lime Rock Park going eastbound on Route 112 from Hotchkiss School and coming in from Sharon, CT via White Hollow Road was apparently not an issue.
“The Lime Rock Park team has already met several times since the weekend and has formulated concrete steps that will help avoid those types of delays in the future,” Riegel said. “”Again, we made a mistake which resulted in the traffic delays. I am responsible for that.”
The statement concluded, “Lime Rock Park continues to work closely with our community organizations, including the Town Council, PZC, immediate neighbors, and the Connecticut State Police. We will continue to work diligently and with all available resources to avoid such challenges for our future events.”
(Photos by Bud Wilkinson.)
