City DOT Urges Transit Use Amid Road Closures for Orioles Home Opener

Fans headed to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for Thursday's home opener against the Minnesota Twins will navigate a heavily altered downtown landscape, with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation having closed multiple streets and set parking restrictions to take effect hours before the 3:05 p.m. first pitch.

The DOT announced various traffic and parking modifications ahead of the home opener, scheduled for Thursday afternoon with the O's facing the Twins at 3:05 p.m. The department's advisory, issued March 22, covers both a full week of downtown lane work and a concentrated set of game-day closures that begin well before batting practice.

For Thursday specifically, Eutaw Street from Pratt to Camden Streets closes at 1:00 p.m., Camden Street from Howard to Russell Streets closes at 1:00 p.m., and Hamburg Street from Russell to Leadenhall Streets closes at 1:00 p.m. Washington Boulevard from Paca to Greene Streets closes earlier, at 10:00 a.m., while Hopkins Place from Pratt to Lombard Streets and a left-lane closure on Russell Street from Eislen to Pratt Streets are both in effect from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pratt Street also faces nightly lane closures between Light and President Streets through Wednesday evening, running 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. each night as part of the Inner Harbor Intersection Improvement Project.

Parking restrictions around the stadium begin at 10:00 a.m. on March 26, covering the east side of Greene Street from Lombard Street to Washington Boulevard, the east side of Eutaw Street from Pratt to Lombard Streets, and the north side of Conway Street from Charles to Sharp Streets.

The DOT is not treating those restrictions as advisory. All posted parking restrictions and residential permit parking regulations around the stadium will be strictly enforced, and vehicles parked in violation will be ticketed and towed. Anyone unsure of their vehicle's location should contact 311 for assistance.

Fans driving to the game are encouraged to use commercial parking facilities north of the stadium and avoid residential neighborhoods; those without a stadium parking permit are strongly urged to use public transportation. The Charm City Circulator is among the transit options available for reaching the ballpark. Transportation enforcement officers will be stationed at key intersections to help guide traffic in the downtown area, and drivers should be on the lookout for pedestrians, particularly near crosswalks.

The opening day congestion does not stand alone. The same stretch of downtown is absorbing closures from Charm City Live at War Memorial Plaza, The Big Dill pickle festival, and events at CFG Bank Arena. The DOT's road-closure advisory runs from Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27. The area surrounding Market Place and Water Street is closed from 5:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 11:30 p.m. for The Big Dill, and Hamburg Street from Leadenhall Street to Paca Street faces a 4:00 p.m. weekend closure tied to Orioles home games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A Ravens home game Monday will add yet another layer, with the northbound Russell Street Service Drive closing at 5:00 p.m.

The DOT recommends that drivers use the Waze app for live detour navigation. Updated closure information and maps are available at transportation.baltimorecity.gov and through the department's social account, @BmoreCityDOT. Motorists who need city assistance can call 311 from within Baltimore or reach the city operator at (410) 396-3100.