Sterling Heights residents should gear up for a bit of traffic shakeup as Sterlingfest Art and Music Fair takes over come this weekend. According to the city's official announcement, Utica Road and northbound Dodge Park are getting the closure treatment to make room for the festival crowd's safety. Set to unfold from July 24 to 26 at Dodge Park and the City Center, the closures are a necessary evil to facilitate a smooth event flow. Drivers, take note—you'll want to detour via 17 Mile Road for an east-west alternative route.
Road closures kick off with Utica Road shutting down between 18 Mile Road and Valiant Drive. Due to a construction project, 18 Mile will only be open eastbound, and it's not until roughly noon on Sunday, July 27, that Utica will reopen for traffic. Households nestled along these affected roads, don't fret: reisdential passes will be coming your way, ensuring locals can navigate their own streets. Northbound travelers on Dodge Park, you'll be detoured from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the festival nights, with only rideshare drivers allowed through to Stevenson High School for pickups.
The Sterling Heights Police Department and DPW have laid out detours and will be enforcing no parking zones in certain neighborhoods to guarantee emergency services can zip through unobstructed. It's also about keeping traffic flowing sans snarls that could lead to fender benders or worse. Cars found playing it fast and loose with the parking rules can expect to be towed or ticketed, especially if they're found blocking sidewalks—a detailed streets list lies in wait at the Sterlingfest official website.
Options for getting to and from the festival without the parking hassle are in full supply, with shuttles operating from key spots including Bethesda Christian Church and Davis Junior High. With a minimal donation of $1 suggested per ride, it's an alternative worth considering. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft loyalists can find a seamless drop-off and pickup point at Stevenson High School's ample parking space. Take a shuttle or play it smart with a designated driver to one of these four official points to make your festival outing a breeze. And for the ultra-prepared fest-goer, text-based updates are just a few thumb taps away—sterlingfest goers can text STERLINGFEST to 24639 for the latest news or head to the city website for broader notifications.
