Weekend events will mean road closures/changes in Waterbury
June 26, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti UPDATE Friday 5:30 p.m.: NQID fireworks have NOT been postponed. The show will take place on Saturday dusk.
Main Street in Waterbury will be closed for the NQID parade on Saturday. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
There are many events happening in Waterbury this weekend, the biggest being the annual Not Quite Independence Day festivities on Saturday and organizers want the public to be aware of multiple road closures and changes so people can plan accordingly.
On Saturday, Main Street (Vermont Route 100/U.S. Route 2) will be closed between Demeritt Place on the south end of town and the roundabout on the north end of town, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. An additional stretch between the bridge over the Winooski River and Demeritt Place will be closed from 3:30 to 4 p.m. for the Green Mountain Mile footrace, which begins at 3:45 p.m. on River Road (the access road to the Ice Center) and heads north on Main Street.
The parade begins at 4 p.m. from the State Office Complex heading north on Main Street to the roundabout where most parade entries will turn back via Union Street.
During the parade, traffic will not be allowed onto Main Street in the parade route, including from intersections with Park Row, Stowe Street, Elm Street, and Winooski Street.
Runners trek through the rain in the 2023 Green Mountain Mile. File Photo by Sarah Milligan
Northbound Route 100 traffic and westbound Route 2 traffic will be stopped temporarily at the bridge over the Winooski (near Snowfire Auto) until the Green Mountain Mile foot race has passed. After that, north- and westbound traffic will be directed onto Demeritt Place, through Pilgrim Park, onto Railroad Street, to Stowe Street. Given the bridge closure due to construction, traffic will be routed to Lincoln Street to use Perry Hill Road to reach Waterbury Center and ultimately get back to Route 100 north.
Traffic headed south on Route 100 and east on Route 2 will be directed from the roundabout onto Union Street to then follow Railroad Street, travel through Pilgrim Park, to use Demeritt Place to turn left onto South Main Street.
Note: Union Street will be one-way from the roundabout towards Stowe Street during the parade and until traffic from the parade clears.
The NQID block party will take place at Rusty Parker Memorial Park in front of the Waterbury Train Station. During this time, Park Row will be closed off between the railroad tracks and Main Street. Vehicles will be allowed to exit from the shopping center onto Park Row to turn left to reach Railroad Street.
The Pig Race will be among the activities at the NQID Block Party. File photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Motorists and parade-goers are reminded that congestion may be exacerbated due to the closure of Stowe Street at Route 100, due to the bridge construction. Those not looking to attend the parade are advised to avoid driving through downtown Waterbury between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. Those looking to attend the parade should aim to be downtown by 3 p.m. It’s also possible to bypass downtown Waterbury by using Interstate 89 between Exits 9 (Middlesex) and 10 (Waterbury/Stowe).
Free parking is available at the State Office Complex, Brookside Primary School, the Ice Center and in municipal lots on Elm Street, Foundry Street, Bidwell Lane and Anderson Park by the town pool. Street parking is also available throughout the downtown.
Fireworks over Stowe Street in 2023. File photo by Gordon Miller
The NQID fireworks show will take place at dusk (shortly after 9 p.m.) on Saturday. Parking at the State Complex is free. Organizers ask attendees viewing the fireworks behind the State Office Complex to stay behind the signs.
Following the fireworks, volunteers will direct vehicles to two exits from the complex: Park Row, which has a traffic light onto Main Street for vehicles to turn left or right; and State Drive on the south end of the complex where exiting traffic will only be allowed to turn right/south onto Main Street.
Read more about this weekend’s events in this separate News post here.