National Folk Festival: Top 3 tips to deal with traffic
Liz Holland
Getting around Salisbury, especially downtown, will be tricky during the National Folk Festival and the days leading up to it.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the event over the Sept. 7-9 weekend in the area bounded by Route 50 to the north, Route 13 to the east, Carroll Street to the south and Mill Street to the west.
City officials have spent months working with multiple police and highway agencies to figure out how to keep vehicles out of the festival area while maintaining traffic flow around it.
“We have a very extensive traffic control plan,” said Tom Stevenson, the city’s director of Field Operations.
Here’s what you need to know:
Streets will be barricaded
The Mill Street drawbridge and the end of Riverside Drive at Carroll Street will be closed, which will likely inconvenience residents who normally travel those roads to get downtown, Stevenson said. Digital message boards warning motorists of the change will be put in place on Riverside Drive, Pemberton Drive and Nanticoke Road about a week beforehand, he said.
Hard barricades will be placed at:
- Mill Street at Route 50
- North Division Street Route 50
- West Main Street at Sam Vincent Way
- Market Street just east of the parking garage entrance
- South Division Street at Carroll Street
- Mill Street at the Carroll-Riverside intersection
Move your car
Cars parked inside the festival area will need to be removed prior to 6 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, the morning of the festival. The city will begin placing concrete barricades around the perimeter at that time.
Cars should be moved to the city garage or any of the city parking lots outside the festival perimeter. Permit holders and downtown residents have already been informed of the changes, Stevenson said.
Any cars remaining in the festival area after 6 a.m. Friday will be towed.
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Beware of problem areas
City officials have borrowed live traffic cameras from the State Highway Administration that will allow them to watch out for traffic backups.
One of the busiest areas will be Route 50 at Mill Street, which is the pickup and drop off spot for shuttle buses to the parking area at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.
Other hot spots are likely to be at Broad Street and Route 13 and at Carroll Street and Route 13.
Stevenson is optimistic that things will run smoothly.
“I really don’t anticipate it being too bad,” he said.
Twitter: @LizHolland5
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