With the annual Hangout Music Fest set to open on Friday, May 17, major changes to Gulf Shores traffic and parking were scheduled to begin on Monday.

Some changes to Gulf Place parking began with the NCAA Beach Volleyball championship held May 3-5. According to information posted by the city administration, public parking at Gulf Place, and beach access at Gulf Place, will close on Monday, May 13.

On Tuesday, May 14, sections of two major roads adjacent to the festival site will close “to all vehicular/pedestrian traffic.” The section of Ala. 59 south of West 1st Avenue will close, along with the section of Ala. 182 (Beach Boulevard) between West 1st Avenue and East 2nd Street. Traffic to and from West Beach can use Windmill Ridge Road, West 1st Avenue and West 3rd Street, or West 2nd Avenue to bypass the closing. Traffic to and from Orange Beach can use Canal Road, or go through Gulf State Park, or take East 1st Avenue and East 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Street

Also on Tuesday, East 1st Avenue and East 2nd Avenue will become one-way-only “to accommodate heavy pedestrian traffic.”

These changes will remain in effect through the end of the festival on Sunday, May 19. At 6 a.m. Monday, May 20, the closed sections of Ala. 59 and Ala. 182 will temporarily be reopened to improve traffic flow as festival attendees check out and depart the area. They will be closed again to facilitate the disassembly of festival structures.

On Tuesday, May 21, normal traffic patterns are to resume. On Thursday, May 23, “All public beach parking and access points will return to normal use.”

The city’s traffic guidance notes that while Gulf Place will be closed prior to and during the festival, other beach parking and access points remain accessible throughout. These include sites at West 4th Street, West 5th Street, West 6th Street, West. 10th Street, West 12th Street, West 13th Street, Little Lagoon Pass and Gulf State Park.

For full festival information, visit www.hangoutmusicfest.com. For continuing coverage, visit www.al.com/topic/hangout.