With thousands of visitors expected in Bowling Green this weekend for the annual Holley LS Fest East at Beech Bend Park, officials are urging the public to use extra caution on roads.

The festival, a celebration of everything powered by the General Motors LS engine, will be Friday through Sunday.

In a news conference Wednesday at the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Warren County Director of Public Works Josh Moore said Beech Bend Park Road will be turned into a one-way, two-lane road heading toward the event from 7 a.m. through mid-afternoon Saturday.

“This will allow us to move as many vehicles as we can off (U.S. 31-W) into Beech Bend Park as safely as possible,” Moore said. “Any outgoing traffic (from Beech Bend) will be directed to Garvin Lane. … For this, we are anticipating a fairly large number of vehicles and people. So the folks who live in surrounding areas have been very patient with us.”

Moore said emergency access will still be open to and from the festival, and the county is working with Bowling Green Country Club to plan how its members can get to the golf course.

Moore worked with Bowling Green Director of Public Works Greg Meredith on traffic plans for the event.

Meredith said a consultant who specializes in traffic control was brought in to work on the plan and ensure signs would be in place correctly directing traffic.

“There are also city roads that are impacted,” Meredith said. “Scottsville Road is a heavily traveled road for restaurants and hotels. There is a lot going on in Bowling Green when we have a lot of people at Beech Bend. We are really thankful for those people who add to our economy.”

Meredith said the city will block off a portion of Wilkinson Trace near Sloan Convention Center to prevent drag racing that usually accompanies automotive events in the city.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3 Public Information Officer Wes Watt said: “The message we want to give to the local people is to expect a lot of extra traffic in Bowling Green beginning on Thursday and going through Sunday. Certainly, Saturday is going to be the busiest day. The area around U.S. 31-W and Louisville Road and the bypass will certainly be the busiest areas in town, along with Ky. 185 and Garvin Lane. If people will just understand to avoid those areas, particularly throughout the day on Saturday, it would help those folks get to where they need to go.”

He said people from various departments and agencies were involved in planning for the event, and city and county law enforcement will be critical to ensure safety amid the new traffic plans.

Janet Henderson, director of sales for the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the LS Fest has a profound economic impact on the community by attracting visitors from across the country.

“Today, we would like to say thank you to our community and all of our shareholders that’s been working for months to prepare for this event,” she said. “We have been working diligently for the past few months to make sure that we have all of our roads and traffic flow as smooth as possible. A lot of businesses have been struggling through this pandemic and this gives them the opportunity to do well during this weekend.”

– For more information on the festival’s schedule, visit www.lsfest.com.

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.