BOSTON -- When the Democrats come to town next July, they are expected to eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores and tie up a little traffic around the FleetCenter.

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Menino, Romney Speak Out

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that on any given day of the week, the Central Artery is a tough commute, but there are reports the Secret Service is looking at possibly shutting down portions of the Central Artery at convention time.

Traffic from Storrow Drive, the Zakim Bridge and Interstate 93 meet about 40 feet from the FleetCenter, the site of the convention. By next July, the southbound lanes will be underground.

Officials negotiating with the Secret Service feel the generally accepted 150-feet buffer zone could force traffic onto city streets.

"There should be some way of working with the public safety officials on access to the city during the Democratic National Convention. I just continue to say it is a draft. It is nine months away. There are several draft ideas about public safety around the FleetCenter," Boston Mayor Tom Menino said.

Neither Democratic National Convention nor turnpike officials would provide details about security plans.

"There haven't been any definitive plans put forward. We are prepared to work and take the direction from the Secret Service to assure the DNC coming to Boston is a safe event," Massachusetts Turnpike Chairman Matt Amorello said.

Menino and Gov. Mitt Romney said negotiations have only begun. They are confident that the safety of Democrats won't be the only consideration.

"It is part of our job to assure that there is a minimal disruption to our population here. Whether that is relating to our T system or our highways, we'll work with the Secret Service," Romney said.

Some southbound lanes of traffic may be shut down periodically. Large vehicles may be diverted during the four-day convention, officials said.

Romney said that the public would be warned. He suggested that Bostonians don't leave all decisions to he Secret Service.

"During the Olympics, we encouraged businesses to change their hours to an earlier start and an earlier end of day to avoid conflicts with various Olympic events that were going on in the city," Romney said.