Bengals games return: Here are the Downtown road closings

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Multiple downtown Cincinnati streets will close before, during and after Bengals preseason and regular games starting Friday.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first preseason game this year kicks off against the Green Bay Packers at 7:30 p.m. Friday inside Paycor Stadium.

This will be the only home preseason game before the regular season starts with the Bengals facing off against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The other two preseason games will be away ones for the Bengals.

The team won’t play another home game again after Friday until the second game of their regular season, on Sunday, Sept. 17. They are scheduled against the Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m.

As another season of Bengals football begins, fans are reminded of the following restrictions around the stadium on a typical game day (times may be adjusted for weeknight games):

The following roads will close pregame about 3-4 hours prior to handle pedestrian crowds and, unless listed on the postgame list, will reopen when the game begins:

• Elm Street between Second Street and Mehring Way
• Freedom Way between Elm Street and Race Street
• Freedom Way between Joe Nuxhall Way and Race Street (Bengals Tailgate Zone)
• Race Street south of Third Street

The following roads will be restricted:

• Rosa Parks Street south of Second Street
• Marian Spencer Way between Second Street and Freedom Way
• Joe Nuxhall Way between Second Street and Mehring Way

These roads will shut down around the third quarter of all home games to protect pedestrians and to accommodate vehicles driving out of parking lots. They will remain closed until traffic has cleared the area:

• Central Avenue between West Pete Rose Way and Mehring Way
• Central Avenue southbound only between Seventh Street and Mehring Way
• Elm Street between Second Street and Mehring Way
• Race Street south of Second Street
• Freedom Way between Rosa Parks Street and Elm Street
• Joe Nuxhall Way southbound between Second Street and Mehring Way
• Mehring Way westbound at Johnny Bench Way
• Gest Street southbound between Third Street and Mehring Way
• Third Street eastbound between Clay Wade Bailey Bridge and Central Avenue
• Second Street from southbound Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
• Fourth Street between Elm Street and Plum Street
• West Pete Rose Way eastbound between Gest Street and Central Avenue
• NO LEFT TURN from Third Street or Sixth Street to southbound Central Avenue

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