Jerusalemites can expect some major interruptions to their daily routines during
US President Barack Obama’s visit from March 20 to 22. As in the case of
president George W. Bush’s visit in 2008, major roads downtown will be closed
during Operation Unbreakable Alliance, as Obama’s visit has been
dubbed.
King David Street will be completely closed to traffic during the
entire Obama visit, as Obama and parts of his 500-person entourage will be
staying at the King David Hotel.
Parking will be forbidden on a number of
roads leading to places included in Obama’s itinerary, including Ramban, Ruppin,
Agron, Museum Boulevard, Givat Ram campus, Arlosoroff, Balfour, Kaplan,
Jabotinsky, Herzl Boulevard, Ben Tzvi, and others. Any cars parked there will be
towed. During the times when Obama is expected to travel on the roads, they
could be closed for a number of hours.
Residents are encouraged to visit
the municipality website www.jerusalem.muni.il or call the municipality hotline
at 106 for updated information about road closures.
Public transportation
will run as normal, though some bus routes that use the roads mentioned above
will be redirected to alternate routes. More information about bus changes is
available from Egged by calling *8787 or checking the Egged website
www.Egged.co.il.
The light rail is expected to run normally except for
brief service freezes while the Obama fleet crosses the tracks.
Ahead of
Obama’s visit, the municipality also hung more than 1,000 American/Jerusalem
flags on major roadways.
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