Park City will close much of Main Street to vehicular traffic during the opening days of the Sundance Film Festival in an effort to increase safety in the weeks after the mass killing in New Orleans by a truck driver.It will be an unprecedented security step during Sundance that will also dramatically alter operations in the Main Street core during one of the busiest times of the year there. The Park City Police Department announced the closure on Wednesday, eight days before the opening of the festival. It is rare for the municipal government to introduce such a substantial alteration to the festival operations so close to the beginning of the event.City Hall intends to close Main Street to traffic at noon daily from Thursday, Jan. 23, until Monday, Jan. 27. The closure will involve the stretch of Main Street between the Swede Alley intersection toward the southern end of the street and the 7th Street intersection. The impacted section encompasses the busiest segment of the shopping, dining and entertainment strip.A drop-off and pick-up location for taxis, shuttles and rideshare vehicles will be available on Main Street between 7th Street and 9th Street. Delivery vehicles will be allowed on Main Street in the morning and will be escorted by the police. Access to Swede Alley will be limited to those with Americans with Disabilities Act placards, residential access passes or festival-related permits.The Police Department declined to provide certain details, citing operational security. It was not clear late in the week when the closure would be lifted each night, as an example. It was also not known whether the closure would be extended beyond Jan. 27. That decision would be made by the chief of police in consultation with other Park City officials and be based on the security and traffic situation at the time.The police declined to discuss the measures to block the street other than indicating a combination of different barriers would be deployed. The police said emergency services will continue to have immediate access to Main Street.The Police Department said the plan resembles what has long been used during the summertime Park City Kimball Arts Festival. Main Street is closed to traffic for that event in favor of placing artists booths on the blacktop.“We understand closing Main Street to vehicles improves public safety, but also may temporarily inconvenience locals and small businesses,” Police Chief Wade Carpenter said in a prepared statement announcing the closure. “After careful consideration and consultation with several important federal, state, and local public safety agencies and event partners, it became clear that this was the necessary and correct decision. Public safety is the Park City Police Department’s top priority, and this proactive approach ensures that we can all enjoy the festival in a secure and welcoming environment.”There are traditionally heavy restrictions on Main Street during Sundance, including parking prohibitions, but the removal of traffic will alter the complexion of the festival. Main Street is one of the top draws during Sundance. There are official venues on Main Street and nearby Swede Alley, including the Egyptian Theatre screening room, the Filmmaker Lodge and the Acura House of Energy. There are also temporary corporate installations in rented storefronts. The traffic on Main Street during the opening days of Sundance is typically among the most of the year, with persistent backups that leave vehicles crawling amid the hubbub. The police conceded the Main Street restriction could result in additional congestion.A byproduct of the traffic closure will be the de facto creation of a pedestrian zone on Main Street allowing people to move about unhindered. There will not be entertainment programmed within the street closure, but it will provide a gathering space and additional room for pedestrians with the sidewalks sometimes becoming crowded during Sundance.The Police Department and others within the municipal government are also attempting to anticipate potential traffic trouble spots that could arise with Main Street restricted. Park City officials have long desired to protect the Old Town neighborhood surrounding Main Street from commercial, tourist and rideshare traffic. There will be an access-pass system restricting traffic on Hillside Avenue and southbound Park Avenue. Parking restrictions are in place on a year-round basis in Old Town.The minimum five consecutive days of the closure will be the lengthiest since the 2002 Winter Olympics, when Main Street was turned into a pedestrianized celebration zone for the duration of the Games. Full Main Street closures to vehicles, other than those during the arts festival, are rare. There were weekly pedestrian days on Main Street during the pandemic and economic recovery, but those have since been discontinued.City Hall has posted information about the Main Street closure on the municipal website, parkcity.org. The direct link is: parkcity.org/Home/Components/News/News/46539/23. There is also information in the City Hall-published Community Guide for Sundance posted on the website. The direct link is: parkcity.org/home/showpublisheddocument/73087/638717600899700000.The post Park City readies details of Main Street traffic prohibition during Sundance appeared first on Park Record.