Barge-Chestnut Ground Zero For The Real Candy Crush

How about this for a headline?  Ghosts and Goblins tie up traffic in historic Barge-Chestnut neighborhood.

Not SY-FY, but the Real Deal...sort of.  Hundreds and hundreds of Trick-or-Treaters – up to 1000 or more show up each Halloween in the candy rich neighborhood.

This puts kids and cars are on a collision course so in recent years, the City of Yakima, the Yakima Police Department and the Barge-Chestnut Neighborhood Association have teamed up for safety.

According to Randy Beehler with the city's communications office, "various road closures and other traffic restrictions will be in place on Wednesday, October 31^st throughout the Barge-Chestnut neighborhood from the late afternoon through mid-evening.

– Electronic reader boards will be in place to alert drivers that Yakima Avenue from 18^th Avenue to 32^nd Avenue will be closed that day from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.  The reader boards will also direct Trick-or-Treat drivers to available parking sites.

– The westbound lanes of Chestnut Avenue between 18^th Avenue and 26^th Avenue will be closed from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.  People who live in the neighborhood can drive their cars into the area from Tieton Drive using 26^th Avenue.

– “No Parking” signs will be in place along the south side of Chestnut Avenue between 26^th Avenue and 32^nd Avenue.  One-way, westbound traffic will be allowed along that section of Chestnut and parking will be allowed along the north side of that section of Chestnut.

– “No Parking” signs will be in place along the west side of 32^nd Avenue between Chestnut Avenue and Barge Street.

– “No Parking” signs will be in place along the north side of Barge Street between 26^th Avenue and 32^nd Avenue.  One-way, eastbound traffic will be allowed along that section of Barge and parking will be allowed along the south side of that section of Barge.  Barge will also be closed at 26^th Avenue and eastbound traffic on Barge will be rerouted north on 26^th toward Summitview Avenue.

– People living in the area will still be able to access their homes via Tieton Drive and Summitview Avenue using Gilbert Drive, 22^nd Avenue, 23^rd Avenue, 28^th Avenue and 30^th Avenue.  Drivers should be prepared for slow moving traffic and a large number of people walking on foot through the area."

City of Yakima parking enforcement staff will be patrolling the Barge-Chestnut neighborhood area during the evening of October 31^st to ensure compliance with the parking restrictions that will be in place at that time.

For additional information about street closures and other traffic restrictions in the Barge-Chestnut neighborhood on October 31^st should contact Streets and Traffic Operations Manager Joe Rosenlund at 576-6430.