Half-Marathon Sunday Will Benefit Hospital : Race to Halt Some Ventura Blvd. Traffic

Part of Ventura Boulevard will be closed to traffic for several hours Sunday morning when up to 2,400 runners participate in a 13.1-mile race along the San Fernando Valley’s busiest street.

Eastbound traffic between Canoga Avenue in Woodland Hills and Coldwater Canyon Avenue in Studio City will be blocked off from 7:30 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m., Los Angeles transportation officials said Friday.

Motorists on 95 north-south streets that intersect Ventura Boulevard will also be subject to delays as runners pass during the second annual “Boulevard Run,” authorities said.

Westbound traffic will be allowed on an 11-mile stretch of Ventura Boulevard during the race.

However, westbound motorists will be diverted at Whitsett Avenue to allow runners to cross the boulevard as they head for the finish line at the Studio City Recreation Center, said Carol Madvig, a traffic control supervisor for the city’s Transportation Department.

Possibility of Accidents

Madvig said safety officials have ruled out two-way traffic along Ventura Boulevard during the race because of the danger of accidents.

She said cross traffic will be allowed through intersections with the boulevard when there are gaps among the runners, who are expected to be packed together in Woodland Hills, but spread over several miles by the end of the race.

Race organizers said they have sought to minimize confusion among motorists.

During a half-marathon last year, motorists caught behind barricades complained that they were not told in advance that the boulevard would be closed. Residents living south of the boulevard were particularly irate.

“It’s like watching a slow-moving freight train go by,” fumed one motorist stuck at Balboa Boulevard last year.

Flyers Distributed

This year, flyers explaining the route have been distributed in neighborhoods near the boulevard, said Nobby Orens, one of the sponsors of the race.

The fastest runners are expected to complete the race in about 65 minutes, Orens said. Last year’s top finisher posted a time of 1:04.15.

Proceeds from the race, expected to draw several celebrity runners, will benefit St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Runners may register by paying a $15 fee today at Encino Travel in Encino or Sunday before the start of the race at Warner Ranch Park in Woodland Hills.