NEW YORK, June 25 -- The heart of midtown Manhattan will be closed to cars, taxis, delivery trucks and buses for the four-day-long Republican National Convention beginning in late August. Closer to Madison Square Garden, police will bar even pedestrians.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (R) outlined the first detailed security plans for the convention, which will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, in his weekly radio address on Friday. "The disruptions will be a little bit annoying but minimal," Bloomberg said, adding that the convention will pump $250 million into the local economy.
But the closings he forecast are anything but minimal. Traffic in midtown already moves at less than 4 mph, and the street closures and rerouting -- which will last 13 hours each day -- could bring traffic to a near-standstill. The closures could cost local businesses many thousands of dollars.
Police officers will also inspect trucks and vans in nearby neighborhoods in an effort to avert a terrorist attack.
"We're concerned about cars begin used as weapons," said Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne.
Pedestrians will be permitted within a block of the convention site, but only those with credentials will be allowed into the immediate area. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, who joined Bloomberg in making the announcement, said officers will escort workers and business patrons into the convention zone.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6537-2004Jun25.html
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