Street closings, detours to be in place to accommodate events Tuesday in Reading

The Reading Police Department Traffic Division has released a traffic plan to accommodate various events occurring in the city Tuesday that are expected to draw a large number of attendees.

The police department will host its annual National Night Out celebration, taking over the 400 and 500 blocks of Penn Street, while a few blocks away, the Santander Arena will host the Rockzilla Tour featuring band Papa Roach.

Due to the popularity of these events, the traffic division has put together the following plan to ease traffic congestion.

National Night Out

National Night Out will observe the following accommodations, starting at noon:

— The 400 and 500 blocks of Penn Street will be closed to all traffic, with barricades at Fourth and Sixth streets.

— Fifth Street will be closed to all traffic between Court and Cherry streets, with barricades at each intersection.

— Free parking, courtesy of the Reading Parking Authority, will be available at the Sixth and Cherry streets lot and the Fourth & Cherry Garage.

The Rockzilla Tour

The Rockzilla Tour featuring Papa Roach at the Santander Area will observe the following accommodations, starting at 3:30 p.m.:

— Entering the city from the Penn Street Bridge, a mobile message sign near Second and Penn streets will advise all concert attendees to turn left onto a designated lane on North Second Street, then turn right onto Court Street.

— Court Street motorists will travel east with parking options in one of the following three garages:

• Reed & Court Garage for a fee of $15

• DoubleTree Garage for a fee of $25

• South Penn Garage for a fee of $15

— The 200 block of Penn Street will be restricted to eastbound traffic only.

— The 700 block of Penn Street will be closed to vehicle traffic with barricades at Seventh and Eighth streets.

— The 600 block of Penn Street will have limited vehicle access and should only be used for the following purposes:

• Guests staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.

• Concert attendee who requires special access due to a disability.

• Anyone wanting to park in the VIP State Lot at 644 Penn St.

Regular traffic flow is expected to be restored by 10 p.m.

Reading police officers will be assigned to affected intersections and other strategic areas to assist drivers and pedestrians. Detour signage and additional notices will be posted throughout the routes to advise drivers of changes.

An interactive map and extended information can be found at readingpa.gov/visitors-map.

Source: Berkshire mont