Streets, bridge to shut down for fireworks

7/3/2006

Several downtown streets and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge will close tomorrow evening for Toledo's Independence Day fireworks display. The reopening of each for vehicles and boats will occur in stages after the fireworks end.

The bridge will remain in the "down" position for about two hours, beginning about 9:15 p.m. It will close to traffic but remain available to pedestrians for the fireworks' duration. The show is scheduled to start at 10 p.m.

Also at 9:15 p.m., Summit Street will be closed between Monroe and Cherry streets. Eastbound Jackson and Adams streets and Jefferson Avenue will be barricaded at St. Clair Street. These streets will reopen once pedestrians have cleared the area after the fireworks display.

At 10:45 p.m., the King bridge will be opened for boats to pass under. After all boat traffic has cleared, the bridge will be reopened to vehicles.

City officials urge show-goers to arrive early and park on the side of downtown closest to where they are going after the fireworks. Tow trucks will remove any vehicles in restricted areas. Motorists leaving the area after the show are urged to be patient, follow police instructions, and avoid blocking intersections.

Motorists parking in the High Tower and Edison garages on Summit Street should not expect to leave those garages until 11 p.m. Law enforcement officers will not allow vehicles to exit the garages until pedestrians have cleared from Summit.