Monterey Car Week: What to expect

“(This is) by far the most significant gathering on the international calendar,” Timothy McGrane, the CEO of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, said.

It is a sight seen every summer on the Monterey Peninsula. People pouring out of the world’s premier cars – thousands flocking to Central Coast cities for Monterey Car Week. But, 2018 could bring in a new age of fans thanks to features car maker, Nissan.

“The Z cars, as they are known, have a younger demographic following, so I think we are going to see, maybe, a generational shift,” McGrane said.

No matter the age, when the rubber meets the road, Car Week is a money maker for Monterey County – a crucial boost when looking at the county’s projected 36 million dollar budget deficit.

“Not only do they (major events in Monterey County) bring more than 50 million dollars a year in transportation and transient occupancy tax, but also a lot of funding for the non profit organizations,” Monterey County Supervisor Mary Adams tells KION.

Adams also said one of the constructions projects creating a major headache near Carmel is nearing an end.

“The plan is that the Rio Road-Highway One Project will be completed by car week. That’s what we’ve been promised and we will hold their feet to the fire.”

The zero mile-per-hour migraine has flooded Carmel, and has residents at Wednesday’s meeting concerned for Car Week. Despite its projected completion there is still a week’s worth of events that could lead to congestion. California Highway Patrol says they are adding more working this year.

“We already have space in marina, and they are working on getting addition space to reduce the amount of traffic,” Officer Jessica Madueno said.

And if you don’t feel like dealing with the crowd, the county put together an interactive map with dates, times and locations for each event, along with a description of what traffic impact it brings.