As a cavalcade of stars descends upon downtown Cleveland this weekend, the city braces itself for an exceptional traffic buildup. Renowned artists like Billy Joel and Rod Stewart will perform at Huntington Bank Field, and Nicki Minaj will light up the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. Concurrently, the Cleveland Guardians will be vying for supremacy in the American League with a crucial game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field, all marked to unfurl on Friday evening.
The City of Cleveland, anticipating the convergence of sports and music enthusiasts, has put forth a comprehensive traffic advisory to counteract the expected surge; an advisory includes specifics like road closures and parking limitations, and this information was duly noted by an official announcement detailing that these measures will be fluid, responsive to the real-time ebb and flow of both vehicles and foot traffic with public safety as the guiding principle. "All closure times depend on traffic volume and can be adjusted as needed by the Cleveland Division of Police Bureau of Traffic," the city's statement read, underscoring the imperative to report suspicious activity and reminding attendees to call 911 for emergencies while providing a non-emergency contact.
Major arteries of downtown Cleveland will experience a tightening of parking availability, with restrictions being enforced on Erieside Avenue, Lakeside Avenue, St. Clair Avenue, East 9th Street, and West 9th Street. Prospect Avenue and Huron Road will also see limitations, all commencing at various times early in the morning on Friday and stretching until the wee hours of Saturday. Specifics can be checked on the usual signage posts around the city.
The mobility of Clevelanders and visitors will also face modifications with exit ramps and roads like Al Lerner Way, a portion of Erieside Avenue, and West 3rd Street Exit Ramp from Route 2 Westbound facing closures starting early Friday morning, alongside the East 9th Street Exit Ramp from both Route 2 Westbound and Eastbound that will shut down in the evening, the city's directive emphasizing that during the bustling events, access to certain areas like Route 2 Eastbound from East 9th Street will be maintained only from Lakeside Avenue, yet this too, is subject to change based on the prevailing conditions.
For those seeking alternatives to the parking problem, the announcement mentioned that The Pit Lot and Huntington Park Garage on West 3rd Street will remain accessible, just as The Muni Lot can be approached from Route 2 or South Marginal Road east of the Lot. With Cleveland's lively sports and entertainment canvas set to enthrall many, public transit remains the encouraged option for smooth navigation amidst a weekend of festivity.
