Capacity Crowd Will Close Checkpoints

[cal04]

Inaugural Parade Route Can Hold About 300,000, Security Official Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/12/AR2009011203046.html?hpid=topnews


Security officials will count the number of spectators arriving for the inaugural parade, and when the crowd reaches capacity, they will turn people away. Officials warned that could happen well before the parade begins between 2:30 and 3 p.m.

"Once the sidewalks on the north and south side of Pennsylvania Avenue reach capacity, at that point we will close our checkpoints so no more folks can get onto the parade route," said Malcolm Wiley, a spokesman for the Secret Service.

He declined to say how many people would have to arrive to reach capacity. But according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment, capacity is expected to be between 280,000 and 300,000. That number will include only those people standing on the sidewalks; it does not include the 5,000 people who have tickets to sit on bleachers along the parade route. Officials estimate that at least 1.5 million and possibly more than 3 million people will attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20.

After the swearing-in ceremony, the sidewalks from Capitol Hill to the White House are expected to be packed along the entire parade route, which goes west on Pennsylvania Avenue from Capitol Hill, north on 15th Street, and west again on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

"There's just a finite amount of people we can put on the parade route," the security official said. "For safety and fire reasons, we'll have to cut it off."

[Indiana_Dem]

1. I'll be holding my breath the whole time my daughter is there! Yikes! nt