WARNING FOR TRUMP VISIT
Deptartment of Public Safety warns of road closures, traffic.
Downtown residents and commuters can expect rolling road closures and traffic when President Donald Trump speaks Wednesday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety warned.
After morning rush hour, several streets around the convention center will close, which could impact the evening commute as well, the department said Friday in a news release.
In a statement, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich urged the public to avoid the area because “traffic Downtown and around the Convention Center will be bad.”
For people who work Downtown, Mr. Hissrich recommended they work from home or leave early. He also cautioned Downtown schools to allow early dismissal for students.
Drivers should also be prepared for rolling road closures as the president’s motorcade travels to and from the convention center, the department said.
Those closures, as well as other specifics about the president’s visit, will be announced Monday.
Mr. Trump is set to deliver the keynote address at the annual Shale Insight conference, where he’s expected to tout his administration’s record of promoting domestic energy production — including his rollback of regulations on the oil and natural gas industries.
The White House has not yet released the schedule for that day.
In a news briefing earlier this week, Mr. Hissrich said the city would be “all hands on deck” for the visit. Asked about the current political climate, he added, “We always look at the intelligence and we’re always prepared for whatever could come at us.”
If the president’s visits to other cities are any indication, protests and counter-rallies should be expected Downtown.
One has already been announced: More than 50 Native American leaders will hold a ceremony, march and rally in opposition to the Trump administration and the shale gas industry. The ceremony will start at noon at Point State Park, followed by a march down Liberty Avenue to the convention center.