CUMBERLAND — This weekend’s Heritage Days Festival will necessitate several downtown traffic pattern changes beginning Saturday and continuing Sunday, according to the Cumberland Police Department.
These changes will take effect one hour before the festival begins each day and will remain in place until the event concludes.
• Southbound Mechanic Street: Traffic will be diverted onto Frederick Street. Motorists can then use Queen City Drive to bypass the closed portion of Mechanic Street.
• Northbound Mechanic Street: Vehicles will be detoured onto Harrison Street, then to Queen City Drive to avoid the closed section. Those traveling to the west side of the city or into West Virginia should use Interstate 68 West and exit at Beall Street to access Greene Street.
• Southbound Bedford Street: Motorists will be redirected at Mechanic Street onto Frederick Street and then to Queen City Drive.
• Northbound Greene Street: As in previous years, turning onto Washington or Cumberland streets from Greene Street will not be permitted. Traffic will be funneled into a single lane prior to Baltimore Street. From there, only a right turn onto Mechanic Street or continuing straight onto Baltimore Street will be allowed.
All tractor-trailer traffic should avoid the downtown area and use Queen City Drive as an alternate route.
Festival attendees may use both the Frederick Street Parking Garage and the Centre City Parking Garage. The blue level in both garages will be closed to parking, but all other levels remain available. The City Centre Parking Garage offers two hours of free parking.