Traffic Alert, Street Closures for National Christmas Tree Lighting

The National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for Friday at 4:30 p.m., which means a lot of streets in the area will be closed during the afternoon and into the evening.

From the Metropolitan Police Department and National Park Service:

The gates will open to ticketed guests only at 3:00 p.m. and all ticket holders will enter from the west side (17th Street, NW) of the Ellipse.

The following security measures will be in place for the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony:

•Street Closures: The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the U.S. Park Police will put the following street closures affecting vehicular traffic into effect onDecember 6, 2013 at 3 p.m. and will lift these street closures when this event has concluded:

o 15th Street, NW from Constitution Avenue, NW to E Street, NW
o 15th Street, NW and New York Avenue, NW
o 15th Street, NW and G Street, NW
o 15th Street, NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
o 15th Street, NW and F Street, NW
o 15th Street, NW and Constitution Avenue, NW
o 17th Street, NW Northbound from Constitution Avenue, NW to State Place/New York Avenue, NW
o 17th Street, NW from C Street, NW to E Street, NW
o 18th Street, NW Eastbound from D Street to E Street, NW

•No Truck Zone: Constitution Avenue, NW between 14th Street, NW & 18th Street, NW

•Security Screenings: All attendees will be subject to thorough security screening before entering the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.  Please allow for additional time for this security screening, as it is expected that lines may be long.  Due to the expected inclement weather, the use of umbrellas is authorized for this event.  Please dress accordingly.

•Prohibited Items: As a security precaution, the following items will be prohibited from the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony:
oFirearms
oWeapons of any type
oHazardous materials
Chemical materials
Radiological materials
Biological materials
o Knives
o Toy guns/toy weapons
o Fireworks
o Pepper spray/mace
o Scissors
o Razor blades
o Needles
o Leatherman brand tools (or similar)
o Screwdrivers (or similar)
o Glass bottles
o Tripods
o Coolers
o Air-horns
o Laser pointers
o Aerosol containers
o Soda cans
o Sticks/poles
o Baseballs, softballs, etc.
o Animals (other than helper/guide dogs)