Mountain area braces for PGA traffic
WHARTON TWP. – Last year, township Supervisor Jim Means wasn’t sure what to expect when the 84 Lumber Classic rolled into the mountain area with television crews and national attention, and this year he still isn’t quite sure. But with the recent addition of Tiger Woods, the most widely recognized name in golf, to an already talented field featuring 21 of the world’s top 30 players, including No. 1 Vijay Singh, he and fellow Supervisor Jack Lewis still don’t know what might happen.
“I really don’t know what to expect,” Means said. “We just don’t know whether last year was an example of what it will be like.”
Means said he hopes for the right balance between a high turnout and no traffic nightmares like the 1997 Mystic Rock Pro-Am, which featured Woods and bottled up mountain travelers for miles. Area businesses and residents still talk about the traffic congestion and hope tournament officials have made the necessary preparations for Woods’ appearance, to alleviate any backups.
“I think right now it is going to be a good thing, but I don’t know what it will do to traffic,” Lewis said, noting that the township is not planning any changes to pre-tournament strategies. “I know a lot of people were hoping he would come to draw some bigger names to the tournament. Whatever the traffic outcome, I think it will be a good thing for the community.”
With pre-tournament activities beginning today – tournament play starts Thursday – Means, Lewis and Supervisor Joe Henning are preparing as best they can, readying the mountain community for thousands of visitors.
Two weeks ago, the supervisors approved the installation of a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Route 40 and Route 381 during the upcoming tournament at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa.
Lewis said that with the 84 Lumber Classic likely to bottle up Farmington’s major artery, Route 40, the planning by the township, Nemacolin staff and PGA officials should alleviate any major traffic concerns.
“They have moved many of the outer parking lots for the event further away from the resort itself,” Lewis said, noting that buses and shuttles will then transport visitors to the tournament, like they did last year. “I think the traffic light should help, too.”
The supervisors received a written request from the state police to approve the installation of the signal, which will be subsidized by the resort and the PGA and operated by a state trooper posted at the intersection during the tournament Thursday through Sunday.
About 50,000 showed up for last year’s weeklong activities. Although traffic last year was light compared to pre-tournament estimates, due in part to poor weather, the police recommended the signal to alleviate backup caused along Route 381, the main road in and out of Ohiopyle.
And with tournament officials predicting a total attendance of 110,000 to 140,000 after the addition of Woods to the field, the supervisors can only hope the year-long planning for the event eliminates traffic confusion.
Rico Tesio, a spokesman for SFX Sports, the marketing group directing the tournament, said seven strategically placed lots with the capacity to hold 16,000 vehicles and manned by 20 state police troopers should help keep traffic headaches to a minimum.
Tesio said the resort can handle crowds as large as 50,000 daily and that with new attractions, including two concerts and a fall festival, the tournament will draw more than just golf enthusiasts.
Tournament officials announced earlier this year that rock artists Smash Mouth will perform Friday at 6 p.m., and country star Jo Dee Messina will perform Saturday at 6 p.m. The tournament will be preceded by a pro-am today at 10 a.m., followed by PGA practice rounds Tuesday and another pro-am Wednesday. The actual tourney will run Thursday through Sunday, with play beginning each day at 7:30 a.m.
The supervisors also said that with the event last year partially washed out by Hurricane Isabel, the lower-than-projected turnout made the first tournament difficult to use as a basis of comparison for future events.
According to Lewis, this year most area businesses seem to have a positive outlook about the tournament, hopeful for higher sales but expecting that at worst, the week will be business as usual.
Several hotel and bed and breakfast owners report solid bookings for the week, especially for this weekend.
Additionally, last year many mountain residents, after hearing predictions of more than 80,000 visitors over the four-day event, planned vacations to coincide with the tournament to try and escape the frenzy.
This year, Means said, he hasn’t heard of anyone concerned about the event, and assured residents that township police, as well as added state police, will be patrolling throughout the tournament.
“All you can do is hope for the best,” Means said.