DNC Will Be No Party For Commuters
Two Transportation Hubs To Close During Event
POSTED: 12:13 pm EST March 31,
2004
UPDATED: 5:08 pm EST March 31,
2004
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BOSTON -- July's Democratic National Convention in Boston will certainly not be a party for commuters.
NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the Secret Service and Boston police announced Wednesday that two of the city's major transportation hubs will be closed during the convention. North Station will close July 23 and reopen on July 30. Interstate 93 will be closed evenings during the event.The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority promised to try to pick up the slack brought on by the North Station closings by using nearby stations and adding additional buses. Officials said that Causeway Street should remain open."All the businesses will be open and access to the Longfellow residences will be open. There's been provisions made for vehicle and pedestrian movement," Boston Police Department Supt. Robert Dunford said.The biggest security concern of all may be the possibility of a truck bomb entering the Interstate 93 tunnel, which passes a few yards from the base of the FleetCenter."Extended closures of all lanes of Interstate 93 -- both north and southbound -- beginning Monday, July 26 and through Thursday, July 29 during evening hours yet to be determined," Secret Service spokesman Steve Ricciardo said."I think that's utterly insane. They will probably lose more money with the lost revenues with people not coming to work then they are going to make on the convention," one commuter said."It's going to be a horror show trying to get in here. As a matter of fact, I plan on staying home," another commuter said.The affected areas are still in the planning stages, but the overall message was clear."Certainly, we are going to try to make this as painless as possible for everyone out there. We are fully aware what this is going to do to disrupt people's lives," Massachusetts State Police Col. Thomas Foley said.Officials pointed out that they can't tell exactly what their plans are going to include because it is the nature of the security business.
| Video |
Jack Harper Reports On Plans
Discuss: Previous Stories:
- March 19, 2004: Dems To Romney: 'Don't Be The Skunk'
- March 16, 2004: Romney: Democratic Convention Should Be Moved
- December 4, 2003: National Press Corps Visits DNC Site
- October 30, 2003: Secret Service Could Close Artery For Convention
- July 23, 2003: Democratic National Convention Decisions Made By Local Woman
- June 10, 2003: Boston Faces Convention Center Dilemma
- December 17, 2002: Leaders Make 2004 Convention Official
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