Add The New York Post on Google The Big Apple will be under lock and Francis Scott Key.
Extensive gridlock, security checks and police squads will be in action Saturday as New York City celebrates America’s blockbuster 250th birthday, officials said.
City Hall on Wednesday unveiled its plan to keep safe the hundreds of thousands of partiers expected to flood the city for July Fourth and other festivities this weekend, when temperatures are expected to be in the mid-90s.
The International Naval and Aviation Review, Parade of Sails and traditional Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks will take place Saturday, preceded by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding Friday and followed by Sunday’s Round of 16 World Cup match between Brazil and Norway at MetLife Stadium.
“We have a comprehensive security plan in place for each of these events to ensure that everyone can enjoy the festivities safely,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference with NYPD officials.
The city will be boosting the number of uniformed officers across the five boroughs, Mamdani said.
“We’ve also been working for months across all levels of city government as well as with state and federal partners to keep our city safe,” he said.
“And because this week’s activities take place not only on land and the air, but also on sea, we are coordinating with the Coast Guard and the Navy,” he added, referring to the planned parade of tall ships and the US Navy’s Blue Angels flyover.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted that the increased security presence had already begun Wednesday to coincide with the US and international fleets arriving ahead of Saturday’s historic flotilla.
“We continue to operate in a heightened threat environment as we work to safeguard the events over the next several days,” Tisch said.
“But I wanted to emphasize, there are no known specific or credible threats to this year’s celebrations,” she said. “Our intelligence division, our joint terrorism task force, and our counterterrorism teams continue to monitor every possible lead, both domestic and international, in real time.”
Tisch would not reveal exactly how many NYPD officers will be deployed for the holiday, but said heavy weapons teams, K-9 units and thousands of uniformed cops, as well as aviation, harbor and counter-drone teams would be deployed.
Officers will be working “12-hour tours,” she confirmed.
The security will be especially heavy along the city’s waterfronts, with screenings enforced for those who plan to be at ticketed and non-ticketed viewing areas for the Sail4th parade.
“People coming to view the parade on the fourth, whether at parks or piers, or overflow public spaces, and for both ticketed and non-ticketed events, will be subject to screening in Manhattan,” Tisch said.
The West Side Highway will be closed to traffic south of 59th Street until 2 p.m. to make room for a series of designated viewing spots at five different points for the flotilla. That section of the roadway will remain closed to commercial vehicles, like delivery trucks, for the entire day.
The FDR Drive and the Brooklyn Bridge will shut down at 3 p.m. so crews can begin preparations for the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks, which will be shooting off from both the East River and the Hudson for the first time since 2000.
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s waterfront from Pier 1 down to Pier 6, as well as Manhattan’s South Street Seaport, will also be accessible for ticketed viewers only, all of whom will have to go through extensive security screenings, too.
The Clark Street subway station in Brooklyn, serving the No. 2 and No. 3 lines, will be closed for the fireworks show from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., though the MTA will put additional trains into service to accommodate the massive crowds traveling to and from the viewing areas.
Officials warned that traffic throughout the five boroughs will be heavy and implored New Yorkers to instead take public transit.
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