Apple Blossom Festival parking restrictions, detours

Daily Staff Report

Parking restrictions, road regulations and detours for the 82nd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, which will be held through Sunday in Winchester, have been released by the Winchester Police Department.

Parking restrictions today

* No parking on Piccadilly Street between Cameron and Braddock streets as of 4 p.m.

* Piccadilly Street between Cameron and Braddock streets will be closed promptly at 6 p.m. for placement of concession stands.

Parking restrictions on Friday and Saturday

Parking will be prohibited from 8 a.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday on the following streets:

* Baker Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Boscawen Street between Kent and Braddock streets.
* Braddock Street between Handley Boulevard and Valley Avenue.
* Braddock Street between Cork Street and Fairfax Lane.
* Cameron Street between Southwerk and Commercial streets.
* Cork Street between Kent and Braddock streets.
* Germain Street between Washington and Stewart streets.
* Gerrard Street between Braddock and Cameron streets.
* Jefferson Street between Valley and Tennyson avenues.
* Millwood Avenue between Kent and Southwerk streets.
* Commerce Street, starting at Whitlock Avenue and continuing 850 feet south.
* Handley Boulevard between Handley Avenue and Braddock Street.
* Kent Street between Boscawen and Cork streets.
* Kent Street between Millwood Avenue and Germain Street.
* Loudoun Street between Gerrard and James streets.
* Loudoun Street between Peyton and Piccadilly streets.
* Morgan Street between Piccadilly and Amherst streets.
* Piccadilly Street between Kent and Morgan streets.
* Stewart Street between West Monmouth Street and Handley Boulevard.
* Washington Street between Fairfax Lane and Handley Boulevard.

Parade formation parking restrictions

The following streets will be closed for formation of parades on Friday at noon until the Firefighters' Parade ends, and Saturday at 7 a.m. until the Grand Feature Parade ends:

* Cecil Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Clifford Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Leicester Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Monmouth Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Clark Street between Loudoun and Cameron streets.
* Fairfax Lane between Kent and Cameron streets.

Additional parade and 10K parking restrictions

* Until the parades are over, Morgan Street will be two-way, no trucks allowed; Miller Street will be one-way west from Valley to Handley avenues; and Jefferson Street will be one-way east from Handley to Valley avenues.

* Jefferson Street will be closed to traffic from Handley Avenue to Valley Avenue on Friday between 2:15 and 5:45 p.m. for the Bloomin' Mile Kids Race, and again on Saturday between 8 and 11 a.m. for the 10K race.

* No parking on the north side of Seldon Drive near the intersection with Miller Street.

* On Friday at 4 p.m. and on Saturday at 1 p.m., Millwood Avenue at Pleasant Valley Road will be closed until the end of the Firefighters' Parade and Grand Feature Parade.

Bus parking from 12:01 a.m. Friday until midnight Saturday

The following streets will be reserved for bus parking on Friday and Saturday. Other vehicles parking there will be towed:

* The south side of Bond Street between Kent and Cameron streets.
* The east side of Cameron Street between Bond and Southwerk streets.
* The east side of Commerce Street between Southwerk Street and Whitlock Avenue.
* Jefferson Street between John Kerr Elementary School and the end of the pavement.
* The west side of Kent Street between Southwerk Street and Millwood Avenue.
* Both sides of Kent Street between Whitlock Avenue and Southwerk Street.
* Both sides of Loudoun Street between Southwerk Street and Whitlock Avenue.
* Both sides of Southwerk Street between Kent and Loudoun streets.
* Both sides of Whitlock Avenue between Loudoun and Kent streets.

Detours around festival events

Detours will go into effect from 2:15 p.m. Friday until the Firefighters' Parade ends at approximately 8:30 p.m., and from 8 a.m. Saturday until the Grand Feature Parade ends at approximately 7 p.m.

Primary Detours

All through traffic approaching the city of Winchester is strongly encouraged to use the alternate travel routes of Interstate 81 and Va. 37 to bypass the city on Friday and Saturday in order to effectively access all primary routes such as U.S. 11, U.S. 50 (including U.S. 17 south), Va. 7 east, and U.S. 522.

Any traffic entering the city should expect heavy traffic congestion and potentially lengthy delays throughout the downtown areas. Many streets will be closed to through traffic and thus may create confusion surrounding normal travel routes including those provided through electronic GPS navigation units.

On Saturday beginning at 7:30 a.m. until approximately 10:30 a.m., travelers will have an alternate route leading off of Jubal Early Drive while the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival 10K race is run. The route will be marked with detour notification signs, directional arrows and may be staffed with personnel assigned to traffic control.

Weekend in the Park

No parking will be allowed on Maple Drive between Cork Street and Lowry Drive on Saturday or Sunday. This is an emergency vehicle access route and strict parking enforcement will be maintained.

Parking may be available on Pleasant Valley Road from Hollingsworth Drive to Cork Street on Sunday only along the east side of the roadway. This is not guaranteed and will be based on traffic conditions only as determined on the day of the event.

For further information on street closings, parking and detours, call Winchester Volunteers in Policing at 545-4737 or 545-4738.