The holiday weekend will bring intense heat and packed streets as the city celebrates America’s 250th birthday on the Fourth of July. The Baltimore City Department of Transportation has announced temporary road closures and traffic modifications for the upcoming festivities.
Here’s what the weekend ahead looks like.
Thursday
- Washington Place/Charles Street will be closed between Mount Vernon Place and Madison Street from 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for a Christian music and worship event, Roots of Revival, that will celebrate America’s 250th.
These lanes will be closed starting at 8 p.m. and will be reopened on Friday at 1 a.m. for the Carín León concert at CFG Bank Arena:
- Howard Street left lane closure from Camden to Pratt streets
- Lombard Street right lane closure from Hopkins Place to Howard Street
- Baltimore Street left lane closure from Howard Street to Park Avenue
- Pratt Street left lane closure from Eutaw to Howard streets
Friday
- Gough Street will be closed between Wolfe and Washington Streets from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Wolfest, a daylong street festival hosted by local charter school Wolfe Street Academy, designed to celebrate its students and community.
Saturday
The city is planning to have some fun on Independence Day, which means large crowds and a traffic gridlock. Save yourself the headache and use public transportation to get around. The Department of Transportation advises those who choose to brave the roads to use commercial parking facilities and avoid parking in surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Road closures, traffic modifications, and parking restrictions will be an all-day affair. It’s a lot, so try to keep up:
- Roland Avenue will be closed between Deepdene and Upland roads from approximately 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the Roland Avenue Fourth of July parade.
- The Cherry Hill Arts and Music Festival will partially close westbound Waterview Avenue between Hanover Street and Middle Branch Park from 3 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Starting at 3 p.m., these lanes will close until clear:
- North side of Lombard Street from President to South streets
- West side of Charles Street from Conway to Fayette streets
Here are the roads to avoid starting at 8:30 p.m. Things will open up after event traffic clears.
- Pratt Street will be closed at Charles Street – Pratt Street traffic will be diverted north on Charles Street to continue east on Baltimore Street.
- Lombard Street will be closed at President Street — Lombard Street traffic will be diverted north on President Street to continue west on Fayette Street.
- Northbound Light Street will close at Lee Street — northbound Light Street traffic will be diverted west onto Lee Street to continue north on Charles Street.
- Southbound Light Street will close at Lombard Street — southbound Light Street traffic will be diverted west onto Lombard Street to continue south on Sharp Street.
- Northbound Interstate 395 traffic at Conway Street will be diverted north onto Howard Street. No access will be allowed onto eastbound Conway Street.
From 3 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., parking your car at these locations will be a no-go:
- Both sides of Gay Street from Pratt to Fayette streets
- Both sides of Calvert Street from Pratt to Fayette streets
- Both sides of Baltimore Street from Charles to Gay streets
- West side of Charles Street from Pratt to Lombard streets
- West side of Light Street from Pratt to Camden streets
- East side of Light Street from Lombard to Pratt streets
- East side of Charles Street from Lee to Barre streets
- South side of Key Highway from Light to Covington streets
- East side of Light Street from Lee to Conway streets (parking has been restricted since Wednesday, and will last through 12 p.m. on Sunday)
There are also some rules for commercial vehicles in the downtown area. These commercial vehicle restrictions exclude cabs, buses, and other mass transportation vehicles.
Commercial vehicles will be restricted from downtown and the Inner Harbor, except for local deliveries. If you’re operating a tanker trailer, this area is restricted even if you are making a local delivery.
Commercial vehicles should steer clear of these areas:
- Fayette Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to President Street. Commercial vehicles will not be allowed to travel on or south of Fayette Street.
- President Street from Aliceanna to Fayette streets. Commercial vehicles will not be allowed to travel on or west of President Street.
- Light Street from Pratt Street to Key Highway.
- Key Highway from Light to McComas streets.
- Hanover Street from McComas to Montgomery streets. Commercial vehicles will not be allowed north of McComas Street, including Hanover Street.
- Pratt, Lombard and Baltimore Streets from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to President Street.
- I-395 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard split to Pratt Street (no commercial vehicles will be permitted on I-395 past the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. split).
Sunday
Capping off this weekend’s traffic frenzy is the Baltimore Farmers’ Market, which is held under the Jones Falls Expressway along Saratoga Street between Holliday and Gay streets.
The following street and lane closures will be implemented from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with parking restrictions in effect.
- Holliday Street closed from East Pleasant to East Saratoga streets
- Pleasant Street closed at Holliday Street
- Hillen Street center lane closure between Front Street and Fallsway
All drivers navigating the city should be on the watch for changing traffic patterns. Live detour navigation will be available on the Waze app.




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