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Road Closure's Baltimore Running Festival

Residents are urged to plan ahead for this event and download the Waze.com app for live detour navigation

BALTIMORE, MD (October 11, 2024) - The Baltimore City Department of Transportation would like to advise motorists of the temporary road closures, lane closures, parking restrictions and commercial vehicle restrictions in effect for the 24th annual Baltimore Running Festival which will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2024.  Over 13,000 runners are expected to participate in this year’s event.  

The 26.2-mile marathon will kick off from Paca and Camden Streets starting at 8:00 a.m.  In conjunction with the marathon, the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon will also be held, along with the 5K and Pandora 10K Races.

The races will begin at various times and locations:
7:30 a.m. – 5K race begins at Light & Pratt Streets 
8:00 a.m. – Marathon & 10K begin at Paca & Camden Streets
9:45 a.m. – Half-Marathon begins at Light & Pratt Streets
3:00 p.m. – All courses closed

In preparation for the running festival, traffic modifications will be implemented along the race routes.  Motorists should be advised that traveling from inside the footprint of the race to destinations beyond the race borders (and vice versa) will be very difficult throughout the day. Traffic stops will be implemented for the safety of participants and motorists will encounter significant delays.  Motorists are urged to download the Waze.com app for live detour navigation.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to plan for the event and allow additional travel time.  Traffic will be impacted in many city communities, and to minimize delays, motorists should use alternate routes outside of the race footprint.  This includes using roadways north of 33rd Street, south of McComas Street, west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and east of Highland Avenue.  Motorists traveling within the footprint of the race are advised to travel before the races begin or after the event ends to minimize delays.

To help residents and visitors plan their commutes on race day, an interactive road closure map has been created.  This map can be used to see when city neighborhoods will be affected by the races throughout the day. 

On race day, motorists should pay close attention to posted parking restrictions (No Parking Event Signs), as vehicles parked in violation will be ticketed and towed.    Motorists with questions concerning the location of their vehicles should call 311.

Residents and visitors are strongly encouraged to use public transportation during this event.  The MDOT MTA Light RailLink and Metro SubwayLink are great options for traveling into and out of the city, as they will not be affected by the marathon.  The Charm City Circulator will modify its service hours during this event and will not be in operation from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024.  Service will resume on race day from  approximately 4:00 p.m. until midnight.

In preparation for the event, the following street and lane closures will be implemented prior to the Baltimore Running Festival for race setup:

  • Left lane closure (next to median) of southbound Light Street from Pratt to Conway Streets begins at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
  • Full closure of Pratt Street from Charles to Light Streets begins at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October 18, 2024.  This portion of Pratt Street will remain closed until the event clears late Saturday afternoon.

In addition, the following parking restrictions will be implemented from 10:00 p.m. on Friday, October 18th through 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024:

  • Linwood Avenue between Eastern Avenue and Madison Street
  • Madison Street between Linwood and Washington Streets (north side only)
  • Washington Street between Madison Street and Sinclair Lane
  • Eastern Avenue between Linwood and Patterson Park Avenues (north side only)
  • Boston Street between Aliceanna Street and Lakewood Avenue (north side only)
  • Lancaster Street between President Street and Central Avenue
  • 33rdStreet between Hillen Road and Guilford Avenue
  • 28th Street between Howard and St. Paul Streets
  • Paul Street between 28th and Baltimore Streets
  • Maryland Avenue/Cathedral Street/Liberty Street/Hopkins Place/Sharp Street between 29th and Pratt Streets
  • Camden Street between Howard and Paca Streets
  • Baltimore Street from President Street to Patterson Park Avenue (south side only)
  • Key Highway between Light and Lawrence Streets
  • Fayette Street between Calvert and Gay Streets (south side only)
  • Hillen Road between Harford Road and 33rdStreet (east side only)
  • Harford Road between St. Lo Drive and Hillen Road (east side only)
  • Hillen Road between 33rd Street to Mervo High School entrance
  • Calvert Street between Pratt and Fayette Streets
  • Druid Park Lake Drive Access Road between Lakeview Avenue and Mt. Royal Terrace
  • Charles Street between North and Lafayette Avenues
  • Lafayette Avenue between Charles Street and Maryland Avenue
  • McCulloh Street between Paca Street and Druid Park Lake Drive (east side only)
  • Howard Street between 29th and 28th Streets
  • Patterson Park Avenue between Baltimore Street and Eastern Avenue (east side only)
  • Aliceanna Street between Caroline and Boston Streets
  • O'Donnell Street between Lakewood and Linwood Avenues
  • Guilford Avenue between 33rd and 29th Streets
  • 29th Street between Guilford and Maryland Avenues
  • Lee Street between Light and Charles Streets (north side only)
  • Charles Street between Lee and Barre Streets (east side only)
  • Central Avenue between Dock and Point Streets (west side only)
  • Charles Street between Pratt and Lombard Streets (west side only) – parking restrictions begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 18, 2024.

The following streets will be SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED (part of the running route) AND/OR CLOSED to through traffic on Saturday, October 19, 2024:

6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. closures:

  • Russell Street from Lee to Pratt Streets 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
  • Camden Street between Paca and Howard Streets 6:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Eutaw Street between Pratt and Camden Streets 6:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Paca Street between Camden and McCulloh Streets 6:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
  • Key Highway between Light Street and Key Highway Extension 6:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. closures:

  • Lee Street between Light and Charles Streets until 9:30 a.m.
  • Charles Street between Lee and Pratt Streets until 9:30 a.m.
  • McCulloh Street between Paca Street and Gwynns Falls Pkwy until 10:00 a.m.
  • Beechwood Drive, Mansion House Drive, and East Drive within Druid Hill    Park until 10:00 a.m.
  • Russell Street at Hamburg Street until 10:00 a.m.
  • Wyman Park Drive between Druid Hill Park and 29thStreet until 11:00 a.m.
  • Howard Street between 29thand 28th Streets until 11:00 a.m.
  • 28th Street between Howard and St. Paul Streets until 11:00 a.m.
  • Calvert Street between Pratt and Baltimore Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Pratt Street between Green and Eutaw Streets (until the marathon and half-marathon clear the area) until 1:00 p.m.
  • Pratt Street between Howard and President Street until 6:00 p.m.
  • Hamburg Street Bridge between Russell and Leadenhall Streets until 1:00 p.m.

7:30 a.m. closures:

  • Druid Park Lake Drive between McCulloh Street and Lakeview Avenue until 10:00 a.m.
  • Druid Park Lake Drive access road between Lakeview Avenue and Mt. Royal Terrace until 10:00 a.m.
  • Lakeview Avenue between Druid Park Lake Drive and Druid Park Lake Drive access road until 10:00 a.m.
  • Royal Terrace between Druid Park Lake Drive Diversion and North Avenue until 10:00 a.m.
  • North Avenue (eastbound) between Mt. Royal Terrace and Charles Street until 10:00 a.m.
  • Charles Street between North and Lafayette Avenues until 10:00 a.m.
  • Lafayette Avenue between Charles Street and Maryland Avenue until 10:00 a.m.
  • Paul Street/Light Street (southbound) between 28thand Lombard Streets until 11:30 a.m.

8:00 a.m. closures:

  • Key Highway Extension between Key Highway and Haubert Street until 12:00 p.m.
  • Light Street (southbound) between Lombard Street and Key Highway until 12:00 p.m.
  • Light Street (northbound) between Henrietta Street and Key Highway until 12:00 p.m.
  • President Street (southbound) between Pratt and Lancaster Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Lancaster Street between President Street and S. Central Avenue until 1:00 p.m.
  • Central Avenue between Lancaster and Point Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Point Street between S. Central Avenue and S. Carolina Street until 1:00 p.m.
  • Caroline Street between Point and Aliceanna Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Aliceanna Street between Caroline and Boston Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Boston Street between Aliceanna and Lakewood Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Lakewood Street between Boston and O'Donnell Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • O'Donnell Street between Lakewood and Linwood Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Linwood Street between O'Donnell and Madison Streets until 1:00 p.m.
  • Jones Falls Expressway (I-83) Southbound Exit Ramp to 28thStreet until 12:00 p.m.
  • Jones Falls Expressway (I-83) Southbound Exit Ramp to North Avenue until 12:00 p.m.

8:30 a.m. closures:

  • Madison Street between Linwood and Washington Streets until 2:00 p.m.
  • Washington Street/St. Lo Drive between Madison Street and Harford Road until 2:00 p.m.
  • Harford Road between St. Lo Drive and Hillen Road until 3:00 p.m.
  • 33rd Street, Whitman Drive, and Curran Drive at Lake Montebello until 3:00 p.m.
  • 33rd Street (westbound) between Hillen Road and Guilford Avenue until 3:00 p.m.
  • Hillen Road (northbound) between Harford Road and 33rd Street until 3:00 p.m.
  • Hillen Road between 33rdStreet and Kennewick Road until 3:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m. closures:

  • Baltimore Street between Calvert and Patterson Park Avenue until 1:00 p.m.
  • Patterson Park Avenue between Fayette Street and Eastern Avenue until 1:00 p.m.
  • Eastern Avenue between Patterson Park and Linwood Avenues until 1:00 p.m.
  • Guilford Avenue between 33rdand 29th Streets until 4:00 p.m.
  • 29thStreet between Guilford and Maryland Avenues until 4:00 p.m.
  • Maryland Avenue/Cathedral Street/N. Liberty Street/Hopkins Place between 29thStreet to Pratt Street until 4:00 p.m.
  • Pratt Street between Howard and Light Streets (until the marathon and half marathon clear the area) until 4:00 p.m.

Residents should be advised that road closure and race impact times listed above are approximate and may change on race day. Additional road closures, lane closures, and parking restrictions may be implemented throughout the day if needed. 

Motorists should be on the watch for changing traffic patterns and for officials directing traffic during this event.  Additional information about 2024 Baltimore Running Festival can be found on the event website.

Commercial Vehicle Restrictions Will be in Effect on Saturday, October 19, 2024, in Downtown Baltimore

In addition to the traffic modifications listed above, commercial vehicle restrictions will also be implemented in downtown Baltimore on race day. 

On Saturday, October 19, 2024, commercial vehicle restrictions will be in effect from 2:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. in downtown Baltimore. During this time, commercial vehicles, including tanker trailers, will not be permitted in the downtown / Inner Harbor areas of the city.  This commercial vehicle restriction excludes cabs, buses and other mass transportation vehicles.

Commercial vehicle restrictions will be implemented on the following streets during the date and times listed above:

  • Fayette Street from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (MLK) to President Street (no commercial vehicles will be allowed to travel on or south of Fayette Street)
  • President Street from Aliceanna to Fayette Streets (no commercial vehicles will be allowed to travel on or west of President Street)
  • Light Street from Pratt Street to Key Highway
  • Key Highway from Light to McComas Streets
  • Hanover Street from McComas to Montgomery Streets (no commercial vehicles will be allowed on or north of McComas Street, including Hanover Street)
  • Pratt and Lombard Streets from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to President Street
  • I-395 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. split to Pratt Street (commercial vehicles on I-395 are required to use Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to continue north of the race area)

Commercial vehicle operators are advised to pay close attention to the restrictions that will be implemented on Saturday, October 19, 2024, and should use alternate routes during this time.  Commercial vehicle restrictions will be strictly enforced in the downtown area.

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