No doubt the fireworks display over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will draw your attention to the sky this Fourth of July — but don’t forget to also keep an eye on what’s happening at street level.

Baltimore’s holiday festivities this week are expected to draw large crowds downtown for a variety of events throughout the day and into the evening. Visitors are strongly encouraged to use public transportation, including mass transit, the Charm City Circulator and rideshare options.

For motorists planning to drive downtown, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation will have transportation enforcement officers in place to help keep traffic moving on July 4. A commercial vehicle restriction for downtown and the Inner Harbor will also be in effect from 12 p.m. to midnight, officials said.

Here’s the city’s official list of road closures, parking restrictions and other traffic modifications to plan around this Independence Day. Restrictions lift at 11:59 p.m.

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The following streets will close at 8:30 p.m.:

  • Eastbound Conway Street at I-395. Northbound I-395 traffic will be diverted north on Howard Street.
  • Pratt Street will be closed at Charles Street. Pratt Street traffic will be diverted north on Charles Street to continue east on Baltimore Street.
  • Lombard Street will be closed at President Street. Westbound Lombard Street traffic will be diverted at President Street to continue west on Fayette Street.
  • Southbound Light Street will be closed at Lombard Street. Southbound Light Street traffic will be diverted onto Lombard Street to continue south on Sharp Street.
  • Northbound Light Street will be closed at Lee Street — northbound Light Street traffic will be diverted onto Lee Street to continue north on Charles Street.

The following lanes will close at 3:00 p.m.:

  • North side of Lombard Street from President to South streets
  • West side of Charles Street from Conway to Fayette streets

Parking will be restricted on the following streets beginning at 3 p.m.:

  • Gay Street between Pratt and Fayette streets
  • Calvert Street between Pratt and Fayette streets
  • Baltimore Street between Charles and Gay streets
  • West side of Charles Street between Pratt and Lombard streets
  • West side of Light Street between Pratt and Camden streets
  • East side of Light Street between Lombard and Pratt streets
  • East side of Charles Street between Lee and Barre streets.
  • South side of Key Highway between Light and Covington streets
  • East side of Light Street between Lee and Conway streets. Parking is also restricted here beginning July 2 at 9 a.m. through July 5 at noon.

Savvy travelers headed for a beach getaway this weekend can also game out the journey to avoid the bumper-to-bumper crawl across the Bay Bridge and US 50 corridor. Some even pay a professional to drive them across the bridge.

Either way, the Maryland Transportation Authority is expecting the heaviest traffic in both directions to last July 3-8. Here are the times of day when officials expect traffic to be the lightest.

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Eastbound:

  • July 3 before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
  • July 4 before 6 a.m. and after 2 p.m.
  • July 5 before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • July 6 before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • July 7 before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
  • July 8 before 12 p.m. and after 7 p.m.

Westbound:

  • July 3 before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
  • July 4 before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m.
  • July 5 before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • July 6 before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
  • July 7 before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
  • July 8 before 6 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

Motorists can find real-time Bay Bridge traffic information by calling 1-877-229-7726 or checking Baybridge.com.