City's Fourth of July traffic plan includes road closures

Fourth of July revelers headed downtown Tuesday evening for Coeur d’Alene’s festivities and fireworks should be ready for temporary traffic changes aimed at keeping cars and trucks moving through the area.

Numerous roads and a key freeway interchange will be closed to make sure traffic keeps flowing.

“A key to enjoying Coeur d’Alene’s amazing Fourth of July festivities is to have patience when the last firework has brightened the night sky over the lake,” said Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor, in a news release. “Thousands upon thousands of residents and visitors come downtown to celebrate and it will take some time to exit the area.”

In order to prevent major backups on to Interstate 90 after the fireworks, the eastbound off-ramp onto Northwest Boulevard will be closed beginning at 7 p.m. July 4. Motorists will need to use another interchange to get to their final destinations, which will help spread traffic flow throughout the community.

The city’s downtown traffic plan to help motorists leave the area after the fireworks show will be put in place around 8:45 p.m.

Barricades, signs and flaggers will assist in keeping traffic flowing away from downtown, with the focus being to get motorists to leave downtown either to the north or east.

The ability to enter Northwest Boulevard from downtown will be blocked for this reason, and traffic control devices will usher motorists either toward Mullan, Front or Sherman avenues east or north on First through Seventh streets, excluding Third Street, which is generally one-way heading south.

For full traffic control details, see the map on page A1, which has also been posted to the City’s website and linked on Facebook and Twitter.