Parts of Jerusalem to be closed off for Bush visit
Municipality's sanitation department working overtime to get capital squeaky-clean ahead of US president's upcoming visit. School days on Wednesday, Thursday to be shortened in some city schools
On a more positive note, residents of the Jerusalem will see their city get a makeover as municipal services clean the streets and repair damaged infrastructure.
During President Bush's three-day visit, the following streets will be closed: Smolanskin, Aza Road, Ramban, Keren Hayesod, Irgun, King David, Jabotinksy, Rupin Road, Weisz, Shderot HaMuzeonim, Emile Botta, Admoni Hanasi, Haari and Balfour.
Additionally, on Wednesday only, the following roads will be closed: Herzog, Zalman Shneor, Bezeq, Shmuel Bayt, Herzl Boulevard, Hazicharon.
Jerusalem residents will need to find alternate parking Wednesday through Friday. Any vehicles stationed on the streets mentioned above will be towed.
Gil Shefer, an advisor to Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski, said that the streets on which parking is prohibited will be intermittently closed to traffic for a few hours on every day of the three-day ordeal.
King David Street, where the president and his entourage will be staying, will be closed from the Jabotinsky intersection to the Irgun intersection. Only Jerusalem residents whose official address is listed as Jabotinksy street on their ID cards will be allowed to enter the blocked off areas.
The Jerusalem municipally said that President Bush had enjoyed watching the sunrise over the walls of the Old city during his previous visit to Israel as governor of Texas. They believe that he will once again desire to watch the spectacle and so have ordered the lights around the walls of the Old City to be turned off Thursday morning.
School hours affected
Sanitation department workers have been working around the clock to get the city as clean as possible in anticipation of the US leader's visit. Employees of the lighting department within the municipality are poised to carry out any repairs to the lighting infrastructure in the city.
On the sixth floor of the Jerusalem City Hall, the municipality has established a media center that will provide the foreign press with information concerning the US president's visit.
Several plasma screen TVs have been installed that will provide real-time updates on the location of the presidential motorcade during the entire trip.
Some Jerusalem schools will have shorter the school days on Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate for Bush's visit.
The Jerusalem municipality website will provide traffic reports and updates on changes in the school day during the visit.
