William Street in Vineyard Haven closed to traffic on Halloween

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— File photo by Susan Safford

William Street in Vineyard Haven, from Spring Street to Woodlawn Avenue, will be closed by the Tisbury Police Department to motor vehicle traffic, from 6 pm to 9:30 pm on October 31. Colonial Lane, Church Street, and Center Street, from Franklin Street north to Main Street, also will be blocked off to prevent vehicles from entering William Street.

The goal is to ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Only witches on brooms, assorted ghost traffic, and other unusual creatures traveling on foot will be allowed. Residents on the closed roads, however, will be allowed vehicular access to and from their properties.

The Tisbury selectmen approved the street closings at a meeting last week, at the recommendation of police Chief Dan Hanavan.

“This is an area that has long been a popular destination,” Chief Hanavan said in an October 20 press release. “It is our hope that the closure of these roads will further improve the safety in the area. Additional patrols will also be added to the evening shift to further enhance the level of safety on the roads in Tisbury.”