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Hundreds of roads will be closed Sunday for the NYC marathon, police say
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 30, 2024
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(Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 30, 2024
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New Yorkers will see increased security and street closures this weekend for the 2024 New York City Marathon, police officials said Wednesday.
Police said they will take extra precautions to protect marathoners, which has become a more complex undertaking amid intensifying overseas wars, political polarization and concerns about political violence.
In a departure from a yearslong tradition of giving cyclists access to rare open roads in the city, police said bikes will not be allowed on the marathon route as a safety precaution.
“We've given reminders and we'll be out there strong, no bikes will be on the marathon at all,” Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
Chell said the marathon will have the normal contingent of security precautions that includes anti-drone units, sand trucks to block unauthorized cars and plainclothes officers mixed in the crowd.
“The security picture last year was complex, this year it is perhaps even more so,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said at a press briefing. “Last year we had a plan, we executed it, and the marathon went off without a hitch. The same will be true of this year.”
Police have not yet announced specific road closures, but New Yorkers can expect hundreds of them starting Saturday night, according to Chell.
“It goes through the end of the marathon with all our uniform officers in place early morning hours on Sunday,” he said.
The MTA is planning a number of service changes to accommodate some 50,000 runners, their families and locals simply trying to cross town. Those changes include canceling bus routes through the Central Park transverses, designating some stairways as entrance- or exit-only, and posting employees on the platforms near the finish line to help passengers board trains.
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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