diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
index 290cc82b15c..6574903fcd1 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
@@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ Release 2.4.0 - UNRELEASED
     HDFS-5784. Reserve space in edit log header and fsimage header for feature
     flag section. (Colin Patrick McCabe)
 
+    HDFS-5434. Change block placement policy constructors from package private
+    to protected. (Buddy Taylor via Arpit Agarwal)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
     HDFS-5239.  Allow FSNamesystem lock fairness to be configurable (daryn)
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyDefault.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyDefault.java
index fa1bfe645dc..ff1f0f4c64d 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyDefault.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyDefault.java
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class BlockPlacementPolicyDefault extends BlockPlacementPolicy {
    */
   protected int tolerateHeartbeatMultiplier;
 
-  BlockPlacementPolicyDefault(Configuration conf,  FSClusterStats stats,
+  protected BlockPlacementPolicyDefault(Configuration conf, FSClusterStats stats,
                            NetworkTopology clusterMap) {
     initialize(conf, stats, clusterMap);
   }
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup.java
index b2747bf1d35..ae5660ee51f 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/blockmanagement/BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup.java
@@ -46,12 +46,12 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.net.NodeBase;
  */
 public class BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup extends BlockPlacementPolicyDefault {
 
-  BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup(Configuration conf,  FSClusterStats stats,
+  protected BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup(Configuration conf,  FSClusterStats stats,
       NetworkTopology clusterMap) {
     initialize(conf, stats, clusterMap);
   }
 
-  BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup() {
+  protected BlockPlacementPolicyWithNodeGroup() {
   }
 
   public void initialize(Configuration conf,  FSClusterStats stats,