Marathons shouldn’t close airport access

Our local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter 242 flies young people aged 8 to 17 for free the second Saturday of every month. However, the last time we held this event, I was turned away from Jim Hamilton Boulevard — the only access to the only Richland County public airport — because of a running event.

It wasn’t the first time. Several years ago, I finally got in touch with the person responsible for these street closures and was assured it would never happen again, but there have been multiple running events since then that closed half of the street, with limited access for vehicles. On the most recent occasion, the street was alternately closed between all traffic and partial traffic.

Jim Hamilton Boulevard should not be used at all for such events. I don’t understand how it’s even legal to limit access to the Richland County airport. There are other streets to use. The same goes for City Roots.

This story was originally published August 27, 2017 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Marathons shouldn’t close airport access."