The Baltimore City Department of Transportation would like to advise motorists of the street closures and parking restrictions in effect for Artscape 2019, Baltimore’s annual celebration of the arts.  The event will take place in the vicinity of the Maryland Institute College of Art along Mount Royal Avenue on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 19-21, 2019. 

In preparation for the event, a variety of traffic modifications will be implemented in the vicinity of the festival and are listed below.  Citizens should be aware that the footprint of the festival has changed this year, so road closures will be slightly different than in years past.  Parking will also be restricted near the festival area, so citizens should pay close attention to posted parking restrictions.  Motorists should be aware that residential permit parking regulations will be strictly enforced, and vehicles parked in violation may be ticketed and towed.

The following streets will be closed at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, July 15, 2019 through 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, 2019:

• Cathedral Street between Mount Royal Avenue and Preston Street (Local traffic to the Cathedral Street Garage will be maintained.  A temporary two-way traffic pattern will be implemented along this portion of Cathedral Street for garage access)
• Mt. Royal Avenue between Dolphin and St. Paul Streets.  The exit ramp from the Jones Falls Expressway to Mount Royal Avenue will also be closed (Local traffic along Mt. Royal Avenue from North Avenue to Dolphin Street will be maintained)
• Oliver Street between Mt. Royal and Maryland Avenues (Local traffic to the Fitzgerald Garage will be maintained)
• Preston Street between Cathedral and N. Howard Streets
• Preston Street between Maryland Avenue and Cathedral Street (Local traffic to the Symphony Center Garage will be maintained)

The following streets will be closed at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 through 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, 2019:

• Charles Street between Preston Street and North Avenue.  The I-83 ENTRANCE RAMP WILL ALSO CLOSE AT THIS TIME; however a special traffic chute will be implemented intermittently along Penn Drive for access to the I-83 ramp (see below).  Local access will be maintained along Charles Street between Biddle and Preston Streets.
• Lafayette Avenue between Maryland Avenue and St. Paul Street (Local access to the gas station and Schuler School will be maintained)
• The detour for southbound MT Royal Ave is right on MCMechen Street , to Left on Eutaw Street to Left onto MLK BLvd, to Left on Cathedral to right on Biddle Street.

Special Penn Drive Traffic Chute:

Once Charles Street closes, a special traffic chute will be created using traffic cones during non-festival hours to allow vehicles from Penn Drive to gain access to the I-83 ramp.  Right turns onto Charles Street will still be restricted during these times.  The special Penn Drive traffic chute will be open:

• Wednesday, July 17 from 12:00 a.m. to Friday, July 19 at 8:00 a.m.
• Saturday, July 20 from 12:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• Sunday, July 21 from 12:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• Monday, July 22 from 12:00 a.m. to Tuesday, July 23 at 4:00 p.m.

The following streets will be closed at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, July 19, 2019 through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, July 22, 2019:

• Maryland Avenue between Preston Street and North Avenue, including the bike lane (Local traffic to the Fitzgerald Garage will be maintained.  A temporary two-way traffic pattern will be implemented along Maryland Avenue from Oliver Street to North Avenue for garage access)
• Falls Road between Lafayette and Maryland Avenues (A temporary two-way traffic pattern will be implemented along the 100 block of W. Lafayette Avenue to allow access to city yards and local businesses)
• North Avenue curb lane between Charles and St. Paul Streets
• Park Avenue/Biddle Street between Howard and Cathedral Streets (behind the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.   A temporary two-way traffic pattern will be implemented along Park Avenue for access to the Symphony Center Garage)

Special Traffic Pattern along Maryland Avenue for Sunday morning church services:

Please note that on Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, Maryland Avenue will be converted to a two-way traffic pattern from Preston Street to Mt. Royal Avenue for morning church services.  Congregation members trying to access the church should follow St. Paul Street to Preston Street, then turn the opposite way onto Maryland Avenue to the parking lot.

With over 350,000 people expected to attend, patrons are strongly encouraged to use public transportation, including mass transit, the light rail, park & ride facilities and the Charm City Circulator.  Artscape patrons can catch the Metro SubwayLink to the State Center Station, which is only two blocks away from the festivities. 

Citizens should be reminded that the MDOT MTA Light RailLink Service has been temporarily suspended between the North Avenue and Camden Yards stations due to safety concerns.  A shuttle bus bridge will be running between these stations to accommodate light rail passengers during this time.  Signage has been placed at these stops, and Transit Ambassadors are available on location to assist passengers.  Light RailLink Service from the south to Camden Yards is running as scheduled. 

Citizens can visit the following websites for additional information:

Artscape:  http://www.artscape.org/

Baltimore City road closures:  transportation.baltimorecity.gov  

Light Rail and mass transit options:  mta.maryland.gov.

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