SALEM, Mass. — The first signs of Halloween appear to be road closure signs, as the city of Salem announced Tuesday their planned events and accompanying traffic patterns for the month of October.
The Salem Police Department say that driving into the downtown area is probably not a good idea, especially on weekends.
“Traffic is heavy and parking is severely limited,” Chief Dominick Pangallo said. “Plan to drive to a free satellite parking lot and ride the free shuttle, take the Salem Ferry, or ride the commuter rail.”
All parking information and closures are subject to change, and police will close any street at any time if they deem a public safety issue exists.
October 5: Grand Opening Parade
The Haunted Happenings Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. at Shetland Office Park on Congress Street.
A parking ban will be in effect on October 5 on the following streets between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Any vehicle parked in these areas will be towed.
- Congress Street both sides from Derby Street to Harbor Street.
- Essex Street from Washington Street to Hawthorne Boulevard.
- Central Street both sides from Charter Street to Derby Street.
- Derby Street both sides from Congress Street to Lafayette Street.
- Front Street both sides from Washington Street to Lafayette Street.
- Washington Square both sides from Essex Street to Brown Street.
- Parking meter spaces at the intersection of Charter Street, Front Street, and Central Street.
- Washington Street between Essex Street and Front Street, metered spaces.
The following roads will be closed on October 5 from 6:00 p.m. until approximately 9:30 p.m.
- Congress Street will be closed from Harbor Street to Derby Street.
- Derby Street will be closed from Congress Street to Central Street.
- Commuters will not be able to use Route 1A between Dodge St. and Brown Street, which includes Derby Street, Hawthorne Boulevard and Washington Square at the Common entrance.
- Front Street and Washington Street between New Derby Street and Church Street.
- Essex Street will be closed at Washington Street.
VIDEO OF PARADE:
Witch City 5K: October 14
The Salem YMCA Witch City 5K road race starts at 9:00 a.m. at the Salem Willows. No road closures are planned, however anticipate traffic impacts along the following roadways: Memorial Drive, Essex Street, Route 1A, Route 114 including Hawthorne Boulevard, Derby Street, and Fort Avenue, ending at Restaurant Row.
Devil’s Chase: October 21
The Devil’s Chase road race starts at 8:00 a.m. at the Salem Willows soccer field on Fort Avenue. No road closures are planned, however expect traffic impacts until 10:30 am along the route.
The city announced the following weekend closures:
October weekends: October 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, 22 & 23, and 29 & 30
Essex Street from Hawthorne Boulevard to New Liberty Street and Essex Street from Barton Square to Washington Street will be closed to through traffic and no on-street parking will be allowed from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Access to the Museum Place Garage will be via Brown Street only.
There will also be “No Parking” postings on portions of Washington Square North and South during the weekends in October, reserved for authorized event vehicles.
The following chart outlines the road closures and time frames during Haunted Happenings:
The mayor’s office also announced the parking and road closure plan for Halloween:
Halloween: October 31
Halloween events will include multiple road closures and heavy traffic impacts for the entire day and night. Note that heavy traffic and likely road closures are also anticipated for the weekend prior to Halloween, October 29 and October 30. Visitors for the weekend and on Halloween are strongly encouraged to take the commuter rail or ferry to get to Salem. Traffic impacts will be significant, including on highways leading to the City. Expect major traffic impacts on Route 114 and Route 1A, as well as likely impacts and delays on Route 128.
Downtown Salem streets will close to all traffic no later than 4:00 p.m.
Please note that the MBTA closes the MBTA Salem garage from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Halloween. Cars will not be permitted to enter or exit the garage between these hours.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2023 Cox Media Group