Baltimore City officials are warning motorists to expect heavy traffic downtown for today?s Fourth of July festivities and are advising people planning to leave the Inner Harbor to arrive early and be patient. The fireworks, scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m., is likely to cause congestion downtown before and after the event, officials said.
To ease congestion, special traffic enforcement officers will be posted throughout downtown thoroughfares to direct traffic. Also, the city?s Department of Transportation has banned all commercial vehicles from the downtown area from noon to midnight today.
To make things a bit easier for tourists seeking to enjoy the festivities, all parking meters are suspended, though authorities are encouraging visitors to avoid parking downtown and to use parking facilities in the surrounding area, they said.
For those wanting to take public transportation, the Maryland Transit Administration said that the light rail will be open one hour after the end of the fireworks, and the subway will run a normal schedule until midnight.
