The torch is coming to town!

That's right, lots of road closures, stronger than average nationalistic fervour, and even more tat being sold on the streets than normal can only mean one thing: the moment we've all been waiting for is here! The international leg of the relay might have been less than harmonious, and it might be three days later than originally expected (following an understandable postponement for this week's official mourning period), but tomorrow [Friday] will see the Olympic torch hit the streets of Shanghai.

In fact, you'll have two chances to catch a glimpse of the sacred flame surrounded by security personnel as Shanghai becomes the first city in China to have not one but two days of flame related festivities. Now, isn't that exciting? Making things extra extra fun will be a whole host of road/bus route closures and alterations. More details on all 63 truncated bus routes can be found here (link in Chinese, but you can work it out from the numbers if you don't read the language) whilst below is a list of the road/metro closures for Friday (which, we're guessing, gives a rough idea of the torch route). We're still hunting for exact details of the route or a map of where the flame will go (let us know if you find one!), but from what we can gather it seems that things will get underway from the Shanghai Museum in People's Square at 8am.

TRAFFIC DISRUPTION (adapted from Liberation Daily):
1. Huangpu District
(A) 5:30 to 8:30, Tibet Road and Huangpi Road
(B) 6:00 to 8:30, Jiujiang Road junction from Tibet Road - Tibet Road - Yan'an Road - Chengdu Road - Nanjing Road - Jiujiang Road
C) 7:00 to 9:30, South Suzhou Road - Sichuan Road - Beijing Road - Tibet Road - Hankou Road - Sichuan Road - Shandong Xinkai He Road
2. Luwan District
(A) 6:50 to 9:00, Xingye Road (Madang Road to Huangpo South), Huangbeinanlu (to Zizhong Road)
(B) 7:45 to 9:00, Tibet Road - Fuxing Road - Danshui Road - Jinling Road - Songshan Road - Taicang Road - Shunchang Road - Zonta Road - Liulin Road - Shouning Road - Tibet Road
3. Yangpu District
9:45 to 11:30, Songhu Road, Yin Highway junctions onwards - Yin Highway - Jiang Wan Cheng Road - Guofan Road - Songhu Road to Yin highway
4. Pudong New Area
(A) 12:00 to 14:30, Huamu Road junction - Jinxiu Lu - Fong Avenue
(B) 13:00 to 16:00, Huayuan Shi Qiao Road, Huangpu River side - Yincheng Road - Pudong South Road
5. Metro closures
7:30 to 9:30, Nanjing East Road, Line 2 station.

Shanghai Daily also has a map of road closures available to download as a PDF here.