The City of Newton will host RAGBRAI on Thursday, July 27th. As a "meeting town" for the day, riders will stop in Newton for a break as it is the halfway point for the day. To ensure the safety of riders and local traffic, the City of Newton will be closing 1st Avenue from Highway 14 to Iowa Speedway Drive starting at 6 a.m. on July 27th. Due to the route and activities happening simultaneously, most intersections will be hard closures, including those downtown. Soft closures will be available for vehicles to cross 1st Ave at specific intersections, including Hwy 14 + Hwy 6, W 11th Street, E 4th Street, E 12th Street, E 17th Street, E 23rd Street, and E 31st Street (Iowa Speedway Drive). A detailed map of the closures is available below.
The celebration and entertainment coordinated by the Newton RAGBRAI Committee will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Newton. Entertainment will also be available around the courthouse square throughout the day. All riders will be directed out of our community by 3 p.m. by the Iowa State Patrol. The parking lot south of 224 W 3rd Street N (future home of Harmony Park) will be closed for vendors, as this is where most of the activities and events are focused. All activities will cease by 3 p.m., and the roads will be open then.
The City of Newton would like to thank residents, visitors, friends, family, employees, and customers for being cooperative in ensuring the safety of everyone involved during this event. For more information, please visit www.newtonragbrai.com.