Heads Up, Charleston: Major Downtown Road Closures and Parking Changes This Wednesday for USA Cycling Criterium

If you live, work, or commute through downtown Charleston, you'll want to map out your Wednesday evening travel ahead of time.

On Wednesday, June 17, the downtown area will host the high-speed Criterium races as part of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships. Because of the high speeds of the cyclists, the city is implementing strict hard closures along the race route.

If you need to get a vehicle in or out of the race zone, make sure you do it before 5:00 PM. Once racing begins, opportunities to cross or exit the track by car will be heavily restricted. Pedestrian access will still be available at designated crosswalks.

Here is everything you need to know to navigate downtown safely and avoid delays.

Road Closures and Times

All-Day Closure

Kanawha Blvd: From Clendenin St to Hale St is closed all day.

9:00 AM to Noon — Rolling Delays

Expect intermittent, brief closures as crews set up the course. Try to avoid or use extra caution on Court St, Lee St, Quarrier St, Hale St, and Summers St.

5:00 PM to Midnight — Full Hard Closures

The entire race footprint locks down at 5:00 PM. The following streets will remain closed until the race ends:

Kanawha Blvd: From Pennsylvania Ave to Leon Sullivan Way. Note: One westbound lane will stay open strictly for destination access.
Virginia St: From Goshorn St to Dickinson St.
Quarrier St: From Goshorn St to Capitol St.
Lee St: From Court St to Capitol St, including Lee Way.
Court St: Completely closed from Kanawha Blvd to Virginia St; Northbound lanes closed from Virginia St to Lee St.
Laidley St: From Kanawha Blvd to Lee St.
Summers St and Hale St: From Kanawha Blvd to Lee St.
Capitol St: From Kanawha Blvd to Quarrier St.

Traffic Pattern Change: Capitol St between Lee St and the Spyros Parking Lot entrance will temporarily become a two-way street starting at 5:00 PM to allow drivers to reach the Summers St Parking Garage.

Parking and Towing Rules

Do not park on the street within the race footprint. Street parking is strictly prohibited on the race route, and towing will actively begin at 5:00 PM. Standard street parking elsewhere downtown remains open unless the meter is bagged.

Garage Availability

Summers St Garage — Open All Day. Inbound after 5 PM: Washington St to Summers St to Lee St to Capitol St. Outbound: Exit through Spyros lot to Capitol St to Lee St. The main Summers St entrance closes at 5 PM.

City Service Center — Open All Day. Standard access.

Park Place Cinema — Open All Day. Standard access.

Shanklin Garage — Closes at 4:30 PM. Must enter/exit before 4:30 PM.

Four Points by Sheraton Guest Access: To enter, use Laidley St and Washington St. To exit, take Laidley St out to Washington St.

Interstate Access: Good news — there are no anticipated disruptions to I-64 or other interstate ramps.

Who to Call and Where to Check

If your car was towed: Call the CPD Records Division at 304-348-6400.
Parking/Garage questions: Call Parking Operations at 304-348-8158.
Live Traffic Updates: charlestonwv.gov/trafficinformation
Event Details: charlestonwv.com/usa-cycling/

Please share this information with local business patrons, clients, and your workplace staff to ensure everyone gets home safely and avoids evening gridlock!