SLO will close roads for St. Fratty’s Day this weekend. What to know
Traffic patterns near Cal Poly’s campus will look a little different this weekend as the city of San Luis Obispo gears up for the annual St. Fratty’s Day party — and some residents may be required to show their lease if they live in a restricted area.
Saturday will mark the second annual music festival hosted by Cal Poly to prevent the St. Fratty’s Day celebrations from erupting into a crowded street party. This year’s event is slated to be open to 14,000 ticketed attendees.
According to an Instagram post from the San Luis Obispo Police Department, roads including Hathway Avenue, Bond Street, Fredericks Street and California Boulevard will experience partial closures from 4 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Saturday, as festivities get underway and law enforcement works to keep students out of the streets.
The post showed that California Boulevard would be closed to traffic from the northbound Highway 101 entrance to the southbound Highway 101 entrance off Taft Street. The area was also labeled a no parking zone, and the city said cars left in the closure area would be towed.
Both freeway entrances were slated to remain open to traffic.
A chunk of the neighborhoods was also slated to close to traffic and parking, according to the post.
That area encompassed a section of Hathway Avenue over to Kentucky Street and down to Stafford Street. A portion of Orange Drive, Bond Street and Fredericks Street were also included.
Aside from the road closures, residents of that area would also be required to show a copy of their lease to gain access to the area during the affected hours, the post said. Digital copies of a lease were acceptable, the post indicated.
Foothill Boulevard at the intersection with Carpenter Street, near the fraternity houses, was slated to be closed to incoming traffic. The post said the area would be open to residents.
The road closures will also affect biking paths and bus routes.
According to the post, the bike bridge at Phillips Lane would be closed Saturday morning.
Two bus routes would also be detoured to avoid the areas affected by the road closures and areas of campus that may be affected by the St. Fratty’s Day music festival, maps showed.
The road closures are just one method the city is taking to prevent street parties.
Law enforcement will be staged in the neighborhoods, and safety enhancement zones will be in place throughout the weekend, meaning fines for violations like public urination, open containers and noise complaints will be doubled.
The District Attorney’s Office also recently announced it will be charging crimes associated with St. Fratty’s Day without the option for misdemeanor diversion.
On campus, Cal Poly will restrict visitors in the dorms and will not allow overnight visitor parking, and fines for damage to the dormitories will be doubled.
