Lake Placid considers Main Street closure for ‘23 Games | News, Sports, Jobs

LAKE PLACID — As the 2023 Winter World University Games approach, village officials have started piecing together preliminary plans for traffic flow during the event that include the possible temporary closure of Main Street.

If the village’s early traffic plan is authorized by the state Department of Transportation, and the village Board of Trustees votes to approve the plan, Main Street would be blocked off from the Saranac Avenue intersection to the large municipal lot across from the post office from Jan. 11-22, 2023. The village has also proposed closing off Main Street from Olympic Drive to McKinley Street from Jan. 15-22, but only at certain times of the day when the Olympic Center is at peak use.

The village Board of Trustees voted late last month to request the DOT authorize these temporary closures. Main Street is a state highway — it’s part of Route 86 — so any road closures or major changes to traffic flow typically need to be authorized by the DOT, then DOT engineers put together a plan for detours, according to Lake Placid Assistant Police Chief Chuck Dobson.

If the DOT issues a permit and detour plan, the village board would then vote on a final traffic plan, which would include points of access for locals and overnight deliveries.