By Shannon Lukens.
The 4th of July Parade, sponsored by Yampa Valley Bank, is at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, on Lincoln Ave., through downtown Steamboat Springs. Detours are set up between 6:30 a.m. to around 2 p.m. The traffic plan will be circular with eastbound Hwy 40 traffic diverted onto Yampa Street, and westbound traffic will be on Oak Street.
Press release from City of Steamboat Springs; June 29, 2023.
July 4 Parade Floats Along Lincoln/US40 Next Tuesday
Street Closures Enacted for Independence Day Annual Event
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-June 29, 2023-The City of Steamboat Springs and the Steamboat Springs Chamber are preparing for the festivities surrounding the annual Fourth of July Parade, sponsored by Yampa Valley Bank, and the 120th Annual Cowboys’ Roundup Days, which will result in closing several downtown roads to accommodate the parade.
As a reminder, there is NO night fireworks show taking place this year. The following outlines the anticipated closures for the July 4th Parade and other potential impacts.
FOURTH OF JULY PARADE – LINCOLN AVENUE/US40, July 4
Lincoln & Several Side Streets Closed from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The parade moves back to Lincoln Avenue/US40 this year and the national highway along with several city streets between 12th to 5th Streets will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to around 2 p.m. The traffic plan will use a circular configuration that sees US40 eastbound traffic diverted onto Yampa Street and US40 westbound traffic onto Oak Street. Parking will be extremely limited in the downtown area during the parade closures.
On Tuesday morning, July 4, westbound traffic will turn right on 5th St, then left onto Oak St before continuing down to 12th St and US40. In addition, for easier semi-truck travel, there will be no parking around the 5th & Oak and 12th & Oak intersections. In addition, other on-street parking on Oak will be limited due to the detour.
Eastbound traffic will turn right at 12th St, then left onto Yampa St. Traffic will travel the seven blocks down Yampa to 5th St before returning to Lincoln/US40. No parking is available on 12th Street or at the intersections of 12th & Yampa and 5th & Yampa. Like Oak St, other on-street parking on Yampa will be limited due to the detour.
The 5th Street Bridge will remain open to northbound traffic during the parade. In addition, vehicles accessing Howelsen Hill, the Ice Arena or Brooklyn neighborhood will be able to turn right from Yampa St to reach those venues. Westbound traffic on US40 will NOT be able to turn left on 5th Street to reach Howelsen Park. Motorists should consider using River Road for areas south of the river.
Individuals looking to access neighborhoods north of downtown should utilize 3rd, 4th, and 12th Streets. Residential side streets approaching Oak between 5th and 12th will not be permitted to turn left on Oak but will need to follow the circular route. The city is asking lodging shuttles to use the parking lot at 3rd & Oak for drop off and pick up during the closure.
During the closure, temporary bus stops for westbound Steamboat Springs Transit (SST) routes will be on Oak at 5th, 7th, 9th & 11th. Eastbound SST routes will use stops on 11th, 9th, 7th on Yampa St. SST will operate additional service during the parade on Tuesday. Extra buses will run during normal operating hours to provide extra capacity and help move people to and from the parade. Buses will return to normal operations when Lincoln Avenue/US40 reopens after the parade. SST locations and times can be found at steamboatsprings.net/transit or by calling 970.879.3717.
Float staging will take place on the riverside of 10th and 11th Streets as well as in the public parking lot in this location. The parade route heads east along Lincoln Ave/US40 from 10th to 6th Streets. With the new traffic configuration, the parade ends at 6th Street instead of 5th with floats turning right onto 6th St to return to the rodeo grounds. Spectators can line up along either side of Main Street to enjoy the signature event, which features around 40 entries.
The city encourages people to walk, bike or take the free SST bus, which will see additional buses running during the parade. If driving, parking is available at Howelsen Hill Ski Area, Howelsen Ice Complex, Rodeo Arena, Stockbridge Transit Center, or the high school. Please respect residential access and do not block driveways. Due to the high volume of spectators, please be patient, alert and follow traffic control signage and directions.
CELEBRATE SAFELY
The city and chamber would like to thank residents and guests in advance for their cooperation during these closures and wishes everyone a safe and wonderful Fourth of July celebration. A complete listing of events over the July 4 holiday can be found at www.steamboatchamber.com and at
2023 FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AND NORTHWEST COLORADO
-WeServeTheCity
