RALEIGH, N.C. — Downtown Raleigh is in for a crowded and closely policed Halloween weekend, with a full street closure in Glenwood South on Saturday night and the City of Oaks Marathon stepping off only hours later on Sunday morning.
Police have not fully closed Glenwood South for Halloween in recent years, but they will this time, blocking traffic between Jones Street and Peace Street. Drivers who park on Glenwood South must move their cars by 4 p.m. Saturday. Lt. David Davis of the Raleigh Police Department said one goal is keeping a clear lane for fire and EMS crews.
Raleigh officers will have backup Saturday night from the State Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation and nearby law enforcement agencies. Revelers will be told to start leaving the area around 3 a.m. Sunday, which gives cleanup crews only a few hours before the marathon starts at 7 a.m.
Assistant City Manager Evan Raleigh warned of very heavy traffic both on Glenwood and on the streets around it, and asked people to take a rideshare or leave their cars at home. NC State is also holding homecoming the same weekend. City leaders suggested families with small children look for Halloween activities better suited to younger kids.
A second big Halloween crowd is expected in the historic Oakwood neighborhood, where a heavily decorated home at Oakwood Avenue and East Street draws trick-or-treaters from across the city. That gathering is going ahead this year under a city special event permit. The application projected more than 5,000 visitors and the closure of five blocks, according to city spokeswoman Julia Milstead.
For that permit, the homeowner arranged insurance, hired off-duty officers and put a basic cleanup plan in place. The city said it is not requiring on-site medical crews or portable restrooms there.
Section: More Raleigh NC crime news
Filed under: Raleigh NC Traffic News
