2 days ago
Local agencies prepared for Bonnaroo traffic ahead of festival
MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WKRN) — Law enforcement agencies are prepared to handle the influx of temporary residents in Manchester for the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which begins Thursday, June 12.
The annual music festival sees the population of Manchester grow by anywhere from 50- to 80,000 people annually when campers and other festivalgoers making the pilgrimage to The Farm.
Leading traffic and safety efforts this year is the Manchester Police Department, after the Coffee County Sheriff's Department took the reins on festival traffic operations for more than a decade. The City of Manchester unanimously approved a request from festival operators to annex the property into the city limits after nearly two decades as county property, prompting the city's police force to lead safety efforts.
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At the latest meeting of the Emergency Management Agency Board, Assistant Chief of Police Adam Floied said safety and traffic operations would be 'business as usual for us,' noting the only change that affected how MPD will monitor the festival is the traffic.
According to Floied, the sheriff's department 'reallocated their assets to be more focused on the venue,' and Tennessee Highway Patrol, which typically assists with traffic flow on Interstate 24, also 'reduced some of their numbers,' so MPD has taken over some of the previous THP posts.
He said MPD has also opened up overtime opportunities to city employees for extra traffic assistance during the festival.
While Bonnaroo officially begins on Thursday, festival attendees will be able to enter the campgrounds starting Tuesday, June 10, meaning city employees will need to be ready by then.
Law enforcement anticipates accommodating 5,000 cars in the day parking lot, which will be moved from the eastern side of the Bonnaroo property more toward the Interstate on the northwest part of the property.
According to Coffee County EMA Director Allen Lendley, Coffee County EMS will be staffing two ambulances on the Bonnaroo property throughout the festival. The ambulances will be there 'for transport only,' as most incidents are handled on-site, Lendley said.
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Last year's festival saw EMS run about 45 to 50 calls, Lendley added.
For any fire-related emergencies, Lendley said Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department will be on hand, particularly on the nights when artists have pyrotechnics.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation will also be activating festival-related protocols to keep attendees moving efficiently off I-24 and into the grounds.
'TDOT has once again coordinated with our agency partners to ensure safe and efficient travel during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival,' Deputy Gov. and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said in a release. 'The main objective is to keep thru traffic moving smoothly on I-24 while getting festivalgoers safely into and out of the Bonnaroo site. Because of this advance planning, we can successfully minimize traffic delays throughout the weekend.'
TDOT HELP units will assist with traffic management during the festival and aid any motorists who require assistance, according to TDOT. Other steps taken by the department include:
Keeping I-24 traffic flowing
Patrolling the interstate and state routes in HELP trucks throughout the festival region
Using Exit 111 (SR-55) as the main festival exit (alternate exits may be used if congestion occurs on the interstate)
Posting TDOT maintenance units throughout the festival region and keeping maintenance personnel on call all weekend
Placing variable message signs to warn drivers ahead of any delays
Suspending any construction-related closures near the festival area between Tuesday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 17
Guarding median crossovers to prevent motorists from parking and blocking emergency vehicles
Keeping festival traffic in the righthand land and/or on the shoulder of the interstate to allow for thru traffic in the left lane unimpeded
Using county roads for emergency vehicles
Placing temporary communication towers to improve emergency communications
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Another way Bonnaroovians can keep traffic lines down is to avoid peak travel times. According to Bonnaroo, longer wait times should be anticipated each day around late morning and noon, though Friday's peak times may extend into the 4 o'clock hour.
As of Monday, June 9, peak times were anticipated to be:
Tuesday, June 10: noon to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, June 11: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, June 12: 8 – 11 a.m.
Friday, June 13: noon to 4 p.m.
Peak times are subject to change, however, and will depend on things like the weather, general traffic conditions, and other factors, per Bonnaroo.
TDOT anticipates about 65,000 attendees at this year's festival, per a release; local officials, however, estimated around 80,000 people in order to be over-prepared.
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