As Oklahoma City Opens For Guests And Tourists, Roads Expected To Close

As hundreds of thousands of people are expected to head towards downtown Oklahoma City for several major events, city officials say road closures and detours will be a common sight.

With the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, 2024 Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Olympic Team Trials and Festival of the Arts, as well as the NBA Playoffs taking place within a short span of time, streets across the city will be closed to make room for the number of events.

City officials advise drivers travelling to Oklahoma City to leave with plenty of time to spare, as delays will be a possibility.

This week, closures are happening around Bicentennial Park and and the City Hall for the Festival of the Arts. Streets are shut off for two more weeks as organizers set up the event, and will last through the festival and then one more week to allow time to tear down the event.

Festival of the Arts executive director Angela Cozby said she suggests using Embark buses or the streetcar this weekend but that closures shouldn’t be much of an issue.

"The street closures are very limited and the signage is very clear to give easy access and detours to navigate around the perimeter of Festival of the Arts," Cozby said.

Closures will be in effect until May 6, so for those heading downtown, you may going to want to plan ahead.