Driving downtown? Avoid these Milwaukee road closures for Bastille Days and Harley Fest

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·4 min read

With both Bastille Days and the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival taking place with in the same four-day stretch, Thursday, July 13, through Sunday, July 16, is a busy weekend in Milwaukee. And for Milwaukee drivers, that also means a busy weekend for road closures.

Road closures related to the festivals will affect drivers beginning Monday, July 10, until Monday, July 17. Here's what you need to know.

This story will be updated as more info on closures becomes available.

These are the Bastille Days road closures

Numerous Bastille Days road closures will impact streets near and bordering Cathedral Square all week.

East Kilbourn Avenue from North Jackson Street to North Milwaukee Street has been closed since July 10. East Kilbourne Avenue from North Jackson Street to North Van Buren Street will be closed from July 11-17.

Also in effect from July 11-17:

  • North Jefferson Street will be closed from East Mason Street to East Kilbourn Avenue.

  • North Milwaukee Street will be closed from East Kilbourn Avenue to East State Street.

  • East Wells Street will be closed from North Milwaukee Street to North Van Buren Street.

  • North Jackson Street will be closed from East Wells Street to East State Street.

An official map depicting the route of the Storm the Bastille 5K. The race starts Thursday, July 13 at 9 p.m.
An official map depicting the route of the Storm the Bastille 5K. The race starts Thursday, July 13 at 9 p.m.

Storm the Bastille 5K road closures

Bastille Days' Storm the Bastille 5K returns Thursday, July 13. The race starts at 9 p.m. According to the race website, the 5K route goes along portions of Jefferson Street, Wisconsin Avenue, Prospect Avenue, State Street, Jackson Street, Juneau Avenue, Broadway Street and Milwaukee Street. Drivers should expect these and surrounding downtown roads to be closed or affected leading up to, during and after the race.

The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works stated that the run will be along the following streets, which will all be closed to traffic from about 8 p.m. to about 10:30 p.m. Thursday:

  • North Broadway from East Menomonee Street to East Juneau Avenue.

  • East Menomonee Street from North Broadway to North Milwaukee Street.

  • North Milwaukee Street from East Menomonee Street to East Wells Street.

  • East Mason Street from North Milwaukee Street to North Jefferson Street.

  • North Jefferson Street from East Wisconsin Avenue to East Wells Street.

  • East Wisconsin Avenue from North Jefferson Avenue to North Prospect Avenue.

  • North Prospect Avenue from East Wisconsin Avenue to East State Street.

  • East State Street from North Prospect Avenue to North Jackson Street.

  • North Jackson Street from East State Street to East Juneau Avenue.

  • East Juneau Avenue from North Jackson Street to North Broadway.

  • North Astor Street from East Kilbourn Avenue to East State Street.

Here are the road closures for Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival

The city anticipates that South 6th Street from West Canal Street to West Florida Street will be closed from 8 a.m. on Thursday until 11:30 p.m. on Sunday for the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival.

Harley Fest's 120th Anniversary Motorcycle Parade takes place Sunday, July 16, along a 5-mile route from American Family Field through downtown Milwaukee to Veterans Park. The parade will cause additional temporary road closures.

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival parade route as shown on the festival website. The parade takes place Sunday, July 16 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival parade route as shown on the festival website. The parade takes place Sunday, July 16 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The parade runs from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., although the following streets along the parade route will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday:

  • West Bluemound Road from West Story Parkway to West Wisconsin Avenue.

  • West Wisconsin Avenue from West Bluemound Road to North Prospect Avenue.

  • North Prospect Avenue from East Wisconsin Avenue to East Mason Street.

The Hop will expand service to accommodate Bastille Days and Harley Fest attendees

The Hop Milwaukee Streetcar announced it will temporarily expand its service and extend its hours to serve Bastille Days and Harley Fest attendees. The closest Hop stop to Bastille Days is Cathedral Square, and the closest stop to Veterans Park is Burns Commons. The Hop is completely free to all riders.

Thursday night, the Hop will pause service from 9 p.m. until about 10:30 p.m. for the Storm the Bastille 5K.

Evening service hours have been extended Friday and Saturday, and an additional streetcar will be operating on Saturday.

Here is the expanded Hop schedule for the weekend:

Thursday, July 13

  • Regular weekday schedule from 5 a.m. to midnight.

  • Pause in service for the Storm the Bastille 5K from 9 p.m. until about 10:30 p.m.

Friday, July 14

  • Regular weekday schedule with service extended until 1 a.m.

Saturday, July 15

  • Expanded service with an additional streetcar operating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Regular service extended until 1 a.m.

Sunday, July 16

  • Regular Sunday schedule.

For more information about Hop routes and schedules, visit: thehopmke.com/interactive-map.

Harley Fest parade will cause detours and delays to MCTS routes

The Milwaukee County Transit System said riders should plan for detours and delays "across the entire MCTS system" due to Harley Fest, especially during Sunday's parade.

Harley Fest-related detours and delays can be found on the MCTS website at ridemcts.com/alert-container/do-not-delete-harley-120th-celebration.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee road closures for Bastille Days, Harley Fest 2023