Traffic and parking restrictions for 2018 Patriots Day weekend
Weekend events, including the Boston Marathon and Patriots Day Parade, will result in street closures and parking restrictions.
The Boston Marathon and the City of Boston’s Patriot’s Day Parade will be held on Monday, April 16, 2018. The BAA 5K and the Invitational Mile will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2018. These events will result in street closures and parking restrictions in the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Brighton, Fenway-Kenmore, the North End and Government Center. People coming into Boston for these events are urged not to drive their personal vehicles. Information on Blue Bikes, the regional bike share system, may be found online. You can also find information about the MBTA online. For a faster return trip, the MBTA advises riders to purchase a round-trip rather than a one-way ticket. Walking is also a great way to move around the City of Boston.
Changes to this traffic and parking plan may be made by the City of Boston’s Police and Transportation Departments for the purpose of advancing public safety and traffic management. It is important to read all posted signs and variable message boards carefully.
Marathon Monday traffic restrictions
The following streets will be closed to traffic on Monday, April 16:
- 5 a.m.: Charles Street, adjacent to the Boston Common will close
- 6 a.m.: Boylston Street, Hereford Street to Arlington Street will close
- 8 a.m.: All streets east of Massachusetts Avenue and Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 22 will close
- 8 a.m.: All streets west of Massachusetts Avenue in the Kenmore Square Audubon Circle area will close
- 8:30 a.m.: All streets in the Brighton area leading to the route will close
We expect to reopen Boylston Street at 8 p.m. We expect to reopen all other streets at 7 p.m. We have more details about the closed streets on Monday below:
- Boylston Street, Tremont Street to Arlington Street
- Charles Street, Park Plaza to Beacon Street
- Boylston Street, Hereford Street to Arlington Street
- Berkeley Street, St. James Avenue to Newbury Street
- Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue to Newbury Street
- Dartmouth Street, St. James Avenue to Newbury Street
- Exeter Street, Newbury Street to Huntington Avenue
- Ring Road, Huntington Avenue to Boylston Street
- Fairfield Street, Newbury Street to Boylston Street
- Gloucester Street, Newbury Street to Boylston Street
- Providence Street, Arlington Street to Berkeley Street
- Trinity Place, St. James Avenue to Massachusetts Turnpike on-ramp
- Boylston Street, Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street
- Newbury Street, Arlington Street to Charlesgate East
- St. James Avenue, Arlington Street to Dartmouth Street
- Huntington Avenue (outbound), Dartmouth Street to Belvidere Street
- Stuart Street, Arlington Street to Dartmouth Street
- Blagden Street, Huntington Avenue to Exeter Street
- Berkeley Street, Columbus Avenue to Newbury Street
- Clarendon Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Columbus Avenue
- Dartmouth Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Columbus Avenue
- Exeter Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Huntington Avenue
- Fairfield Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
- Gloucester Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
- Hereford Street, Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
- Dalton Street, Belvidere Street to Boylston Street
- Belvidere Street, Huntington Avenue to Dalton Street
- Beacon Street, Park Drive to Commonwealth Avenue
- Brookline Avenue, Lansdowne Street to Commonwealth Avenue
- Newbury Street Extension, Brookline Avenue to Charlesgate West
- Commonwealth Avenue (inbound), from BU Bridge to Gloucester Street
- Commonwealth Avenue (outbound), Hereford Street to Deerfield Street
- Kenmore Street, Newbury Street Extension to Commonwealth Avenue (outbound)
- Raleigh Street, Beacon Street Extension to Commonwealth Avenue (outbound)
- Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street to Gloucester Street, and from the Newton City Line (Lake Street) to Chestnut Hill Avenue
- Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill Avenue to the Brookline town line (Cleveland Circle)
- Chestnut Hill Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue to Brookline town line (Ayr Road)
The parade will begin at 9:15 a.m. at City Hall Plaza. Participants will march:
- from Court Street to Cambridge Street to Tremont Street
- left to Bromfield Street
- left to Washington Street
- right to State Street
- left to Congress Street
- right to Hanover Street, and
- end at the Paul Revere Mall.
Streets along the route will be closed to traffic briefly as the parade proceeds.
Saturday street closures
On Saturday, April 14, we will close streets along the routes of the B.A.A. 5K and the Invitational Mile to traffic. We expected to reopen all streets by 3 p.m.
At 6 a.m., we will prohibit traffic on Charles Street, between Boylston Street and Beacon Street. The 5K will begin at 8 a.m. on Charles Street, near the Center Gate of the Public Garden. We expect the race to last about one hour, with roads opening up as the tail vehicle of the race passes. An estimated 10,000 runners will turn:
- right onto Boylston Street
- right onto Arlington Street
- left onto Commonwealth Avenue outbound via the underpass at Massachusetts Avenue
- left onto Charlesgate West
- left onto Commonwealth Avenue inbound via the underpass at Massachusetts Avenue
- right onto Hereford Street
- left onto Boylston Street, and
- left onto Charles Street.
The Invitational Mile will start after the 5K. Formation will be on Boylston Street prior to Dartmouth Street, and the route will be:
- Boylston Street, left to Dartmouth Street
- left to Newbury Street, and
- left to Exeter Street.
- Boylston Street, from Hereford Street to Clarendon Street
- Newbury Street, from Clarendon Street to Fairfield Street
- Exeter Street, from Newbury Street to Boylston Street
Parking restrictions
During Patriots Day Weekend, you won’t be able to park on several streets in the Back Bay on Saturday, April 14, and Monday, April 16. We also restrict some streets several days in advance of the weekend. Parking restrictions are as follows:
- Boylston Street (both sides): Exeter Street to Dartmouth Street
- Boylston Street: From Dartmouth Street near the Copley Square Mall to Clarendon St
- Exeter Street (east side): Boylston Street to Blagden Street
- Blagden Street (south side): Huntington Avenue to Exeter Street
- Blagden Street (north side): Dartmouth Street to BPL Driveway
- Exeter Street (west side): Alley 441 to Boylston Street
- Newbury Street (both sides): Dartmouth Street to Exeter Street
- Beacon Street (Boston Common side): Charles Street to Joy Street
- Boylston Street (both sides): Dalton Street to Arlington Street
- Exeter Street (both sides): Newbury Street to Huntington Avenue (except where otherwise posted)
- Dartmouth Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Newbury Street
- Trinity Place (both sides): St. James Avenue to Stuart Street
- Cambridge Street (both sides): Court Street to Sudbury Street excluding any active construction zones
- St. James Avenue (both sides): Berkeley Street to Arlington Street
- Boylston Street (both sides): Arlington Street to Charles Street
- Charles Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Beacon Street
- St. James Avenue (both sides): Berkeley Street to Dartmouth Street
- Stuart Street (both sides): Huntington Avenue to Arlington Street
- Clarendon Street (both sides): Newbury Street to Public Alley 436
- Berkeley Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Newbury Street
- Newbury Street (both sides): Dartmouth Street to Exeter Street
- Arlington Street (both sides): Beacon Street to Stuart Streets
- Arlington Street (odd side): Columbus Avenue to Isabella Street
- Beacon Street (both sides): Chestnut Hill Avenue to Brookline Line
- Beacon Street (Public Garden side): Charles Street to Arlington Street
- Beacon Street (both sides): Bay State Road to the Brookline Town Line
- Belvidere Street (both sides): Huntington Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue
- Berkeley Street (both sides): Columbus Avenue to Commonwealth Avenue
- Blagden Street (both sides): Huntington Avenue to Exeter Street
- Bromfield Street (south side): Washington Street to Tremont Street
- Cambridge Street (west side): Court Street to Beacon Street / Tremont Street
- Cambridge Street (both sides): Sudbury Street to Tremont Street
- Charles Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Beacon Street
- Charles Street South (both sides): Park Plaza to Boylston Street
- Chestnut Hill Avenue (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Beacon Street
- Clarendon Street (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Columbus Avenue
- Columbus Avenue (both sides): Arlington Street to Dartmouth (unless otherwise posted)
- Commonwealth Avenue (south/inbound side): Beacon Street (Kenmore Square) to 80’ east of Hereford
- Commonwealth Avenue (inbound): Lake Street to Chestnut Hill Avenue
- Commonwealth Avenue (outbound): Charlesgate West to Deerfield Street
- Congress Street (northbound roadway, east side): State Street to Hanover Street
- Dalton Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Clearway Street
- Dartmouth Street (both sides): Newbury Street to Commonwealth Avenue; Saint James Avenue to Columbus Avenue
- Deerfield Street (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Bay State Road
- East Dedham Street (both sides): Harrison Avenue to Albany Street
- Exeter Street (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Newbury Street
- Fairfield Street (both sides): Boylston Street to Commonwealth Avenue
- Gloucester Street (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
- Hanover Street (both sides): Congress Street to Commercial Street
- Hereford Street (both sides): Commonwealth Avenue to Boylston Street
- Huntington Avenue (northwest/odd side): Blagden Street to Massachusetts Avenue
- Kenmore Street (both sides): Newbury Street to Beacon Street
- Merrimac Street (odd side): New Chardon Street to Staniford Street, excluding car-share space
- Nassau Street (both sides): Washington Street to Harrison Avenue
- Newbury Street (both sides): Arlington Street to Brookline Avenue
- New Chardon Street (both sides): Merrimac Street to Cambridge Street
- Plympton Street (both sides): Harrison Avenue to Albany Street
- Providence Street (both sides): Arlington Street to Berkeley Street
- Raleigh Street (both sides): Bay State Road to Beacon Street
- State Street (both sides): Washington Street to Congress Street
- Stanhope Street (both sides): Berkeley Street to Clarendon Street
- Scotia Street (both sides): Dalton Street to St. Cecilia Street
- St. Cecilia Street (both sides): Belvidere Street to Boylston Street
- Tremont Street (both sides): Cambridge Street to Stuart Street
- Washington Street (both sides): Bromfield Street to State Street; Oak Street to Nassau Street
- Washington Street (east side): Nassau Street to Kneeland Street
- Beacon Street (South side/Public Garden side): Charles Street to Arlington Street
