NBC's athletic competition TV show American Ninja Warrior is coming to Cincinnati this month, and the City of Cincinnati is gearing up for a weekend of traffic woes.
The city released a traffic warning on their site May 6, explaining the timeline of events and what street closures we can expect. Basically, all of Second Street will be closed from Elm to Walnut streets from 9 a.m. May 18 through May 27.
The show, which features athletic-type people tackling assorted obstacles, will be filming a qualifying round for an upcoming season during the span of the 10-day closure. There will be a live taping of the show at The Banks downtown (Film Cincinnati has scouted an obstacle course site along Second Street) at 8 p.m. May 24 and May 25. This happens to fall on the same weekend as Taste of Cincinnati, which will occupy Fifth Street.
Though the filming will only take up a small portion of the closure, according to the news release by the city, it will take five days for set-up and take down of the obstacle course.
Over the past few months, the city has worked with the production team, Film Cincinnati and Hamilton County in order to secure the best site for the event. They have planned increased officer presence throughout the 10-day span to ensure traffic moves as smoothly as possible.
"Cincinnati police officers will be stationed at key intersections on Second Street, including Elm and Walnut streets, during morning and afternoon rush hours Monday through Friday to help direct motorists around the show’s venue. Police also will be on site for extended periods throughout the two dates the show is filmed in the evenings and overnight on Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25," the release reads.
Cincinnati was one of six other cities chosen to host American Ninja Warrior's qualifying rounds.
For more info about the filming, click here.
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