Jerusalem is buzzing with activity as the municipality gets ready for US President George W. Bush's visit on Wednesday. In a press briefing at a media center set up specifically for the American leader's visit, it was reported that many Jerusalem roadways will be closed, parking will not be permitted in several areas and Jerusalem schools will have alternate hours during the visit.
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.
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| Jerusalem readies for Bush's arrival, 10,500 police involved in security / Associated Press |
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Snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs and Shin Bet bodyguards to secure US president's visit in operation dubbed ' Clear Skies'; eight truckloads of gear arrive at historic King David hotel, bearing everything from security equipment to printer paper and fax machines; garbage teams engaged in furious race to clean capital up |
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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.
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.
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