Springs carries a torch today/ Olympic procession on view for two

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 31, 2002 | by Barry Noreen

If you have a burning desire to see the Olympic torch, you don't have long to wait.

And if you can't stand waiting in traffic, you should be someplace else other than Academy Boulevard late this afternoon.

The torch cometh and the torch burneth, starting at 3:20 p.m. at Auto Mall Loop north of the Chapel Hills Mall. By about 6:40 p.m., it will arrive at Memorial Park.

At any one point it will take the caravan escorting the torchbearers three or four minutes to pass by, and that will cause traffic to back up as today's rush hour reaches its peak.

Jeff Black, a spokesman for the Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay Team, said delays caused by the torch elsewhere in the country have been the most pleasant traffic jams on record.

"Once everybody realizes what it is, people get out of their cars and cheer or they honk their horns," Black said. "We ran in Buffalo (earlier this month) and the wind chill was about 5 below. Even then there were 10,000 people there."

Today's high is expected to be 22 degrees.

The torch caravan, with about 10 vehicles escorted by motorcycle police, only will go as fast as the jogger with the torch. The procession won't shut down Academy Boulevard, because for nearly all of the route, one southbound lane of the arterial street will remain open, so traffic will be able to pass.

Sgt. Phil LeBeau of the Colorado Springs Police Department said traffic even will be allowed to make right turns in front of the torch caravan as long as it's safe to do so.

The caravan will turn west from Academy onto Palmer Park Boulevard. It will turn onto Uintah Street and proceed to Cascade Avenue downtown, where it will continue south to Pikes Peak Avenue. After a couple of turns, it will head back east to Union Boulevard, touring the U.S. Olympic Complex, and on to Boulder Street, then go south a few blocks to Memorial Park.

"We're going to provide an envelope around the torch caravan of 10 motorcycles," LeBeau said Wednesday. "If I get 10 inches of snow tonight, I put the motorcycle guys into cars."

LeBeau said another 20 officers will be stationed at Memorial Park, where a ceremony is scheduled.

On Friday, the torch procession continues west toward Manitou Springs. During the two-day journey through the area, the torch will be borne by almost 200 torchbearers and will be accompanied by 70 police from several agencies, Black said.