Idaho Falls Independence Day public safety information for Liberty on Parade

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) The following is from a press release from the City of Idaho Falls:

The Idaho Falls Police Department and partner agencies are sharing traffic closures, information, and safety tips to help the public to be safe and prepared for the annual 4^th of July events that take place in Idaho Falls. More than 200,000 community members and visitors will celebrate our nation's independence during various events, including the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Liberty on Parade, Riverbend’s Riverfest, and the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration. The City of Idaho Falls staff is proud to assist the entities that host these events on Independence Day. Anyone attending these events, as well as residents of Idaho Falls and the surrounding areas, is encouraged to plan ahead for the impacts of these events to ensure a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.

GENERAL

Call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Please keep 9-1-1 lines clear for actual emergencies. To contact public safety for non-emergent issues call (208) 529-1200. If you are attending the parade, Riverfest, or the Freedom Celebration and, due to congestion around the events, you are not able to successfully place/receive phone calls or text messages, go to the IFPD post at the events (see below) or flag down one of the Idaho Falls Police Officers or Idaho Falls Fire & EMS personnel roving through the events.

Report any criminal activity. Every Idaho Falls Police Department officer, Animal Control Officer, Emergency Communications Officer and many other IFPD staff will be working on the 4^th of July. We thank the public for their patience as officers address calls for service as quickly as possible, as well as other safety and criminal concerns throughout the day.

LIBERTY ON PARADE

The annual 4^th of July parade, Liberty on Parade hosted by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 4^th. The parade route begins near Idaho Falls High School at the intersection of 4^th Street and South Holmes Avenue, travels West on 4^th Street, turns South on South Boulevard, and concludes at the intersection of South Boulevard and Rogers Street. 

Idaho Falls Police Officers will be roving along the parade route and in the surrounding area on bike and on foot. A manned post of IFPD Officers will be located at 10^th Street and South Boulevard near Common Cents. Look for the blue Idaho Falls Police canopy.

Pedestrian foot traffic and people lining the parade route begins hours before the start of the parade. Residents and anyone traveling within at least a mile of the parade route should expect to encounter congested traffic, crowds, and pedestrians. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if they are not attending the parade and to otherwise use caution in the area. 

Parking along the parade route is not permitted after 5:00 a.m. on July 4^th until after the conclusion of the parade. Anyone who leaves a vehicle parked along the parade route, or in the parade staging area around Idaho Falls High School, after 5:00 a.m. for any length of time risks being cited and/or having the vehicle towed.

The following road closures related to the parade will be in effect at the indicated times on July 4^th until the conclusion of the parade.

6:00 a.m.

• John Adams Parkway, including the branches that connect to 4^th Street and 5^th Street, from Tiger Ave to S Holmes Ave.

8:00 a.m.

• South Boulevard from N Water Ave to W Sunnyside Road.

9:00 a.m. and later.

• ­­The intersection of South Holmes Ave and 4^th Street will close at the start of the parade. South Holmes Ave will reopen after the parade has passed. 
• The intersection of South Holmes and East 17^th Street will close when the parade reaches 10^th street and will remain closed until the parade has passed.