Downtown Fargo Street Fair Transportation Options and Event-Related Road Closures

Article Provided by the City of Fargo.

The City of Fargo and Downtown Community Partnership are preparing to host the annual Downtown Fargo Street Fair this week. The City is maximizing community resources during the Downtown Fargo Street Fair, running July 18- 20, to ensure public access to this popular summer celebration is as easy as possible.

Motorists will encounter event-related changes or full roadway closures in downtown Fargo until Saturday evening when the street fair comes to completion. Event-related road closures include:

• Broadway closed north of 1st Avenue North to 7th Avenue North
• 2nd Avenue N from Broadway to Roberts Street
• 4th Avenue from 3rd Street N to Roberts Street

The intersections at 1st Avenue N and 7th Avenue N will remain open for cross traffic during the event. See attached map.

Best routes into downtown:

• North/South: 4th Street – motorists will encounter a small detour to 5th Street S between 11th Avenue and 10th Avenue S
• West: NP Avenue or 7th Avenue N 
• East (Moorhead): 1st Avenue N or NP Avenue 

Road Improvements:

With road construction projects occurring in and around the Downtown area, the City has partnered with major organizations such as Fargo Parking and MATBUS to improve transportation and parking options for the event.

It is important to plan your route in advance to potentially reduce congestion time and allow yourself more time to enjoy the event. Projects to plan for include:

• Roberts Streets, 4th Avenue N – 2nd Avenue N –The north portion between 4th Avenue N to north of parking ramp fully closed to drivers.
  • Access to the Roberts Common Parking Ramp is maintained for both directions via intersection of 2nd Avenue N and Roberts Street.
  • Pedestrian access is maintained on the west side of Roberts Street through the half-block. Both sides of the sidewalk are open on the south half of Roberts Street after the work zone.
• Main Avenue, 2nd Street South to Broadway intersections – Main Avenue is closed to all through traffic from Broadway to 2nd Street South intersections. Posted detour route is 8th Street to NP Avenue to 1st Avenue bridge.
  • OPEN: 4th Street South intersection to north and southbound drivers
  • SIDEWALKS OPEN: Along Main Avenue open – 
    • North side: between 2nd Street S to 4th Street S
    • South side: between 4th Street S through Broadway. On the north side of the Broadway intersection pedestrians are detoured behind the Depot Railcars.
  • Adjacent to this project, 2nd Street South between 4th Street South and Main Avenue is closed to complete flood mitigation work in downtown Fargo.

The NP/Center Avenue Bridge across the Red River and 10th Street North underpass between 4th – 7th Avenue N have both re-opened to traffic.

Additional traffic considerations, view FargoStreets.com interactive map, link: bit.ly/FargoStreetsMap

LinkFM:

The fastest and easiest way for drivers to get to the Street Fair is to park and ride. The free LinkFM bus service provides convenient access between several public parking lots and the event. Fair goers may park at the Moorhead Center Mall and catch the LinkFM bus at the shelter in the east parking lot.

Link FM will be servicing two temporary bus stops located on the northwest corner of Broadway and 1st Ave N and the southeast corner of Broadway and NP Ave. 

LinkFM will have extended service for all Street Fair days and two extra LinkFM buses will provide 5-minute service on all three days.

·         July 18 and 19 – 7:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m., 2 extra buses on route from 9:30 am - 9:30 pm

·         July 20 – 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, 2 extra buses on route from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm

MATBUS fixed routes will also offer half-priced fare on July 18 and July 19. On Saturday all fixed routes will be free! Passengers may utilize MATBUS’ bike and bus feature, with all MATBUS vehicles equipped with bike racks to allow passengers to travel on the bus while taking their bike with them.

Parking:

For those who prefer to park and walk, there are several throughout the downtown area. Island Park Garage and Roberts Commons Garage have more than 800 combined spots.

Parking garages:

• Island Parking Ramp (515 1st Avenue South) – FREE evenings 5 PM - 8 AM & weekends
• Roberts Commons Garage (217 Roberts Street North) – FREE 0 – 2 hours, evenings 5 – 8 PM and weekends FREE; Parking between 2 – 4 hours, $3.00
• Other City-owned lots, such as the one east of City Hall, free for parking after 5 PM and weekends

Street parking:

• Weekdays – 90 minute and 2 – 4-hour parking slots FREE. Time limit restrictions will be lifted after 5 PM
• Saturday – No time restrictions

Biking:

Bikers are encouraged to utilize the City’s Bike Share program, with three drop-off and pick-up locations near the Street Fair, or to park their bikes at the added racks near Great Northern Bicycle Company.

Bikers can also use Roberts Commons Garage with 70 bike parking spaces available in the lower level. Access to the garage is off 2nd Avenue North from the south portion of Roberts Alley.