The Democratic National Convention
Denver, Colorado
August 25- 28, 2008

Transportation Disruptions

Authorities expect more than 50,000 visitors to travel to Denver for the Democratic National Convention this year.  The convention and associated events will be concentrated around the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field.  There will be street closings and transportation disruptions during the 4-day event.  Security will be extraordinarily tight as well. Road closures will be concentrated around the area of the Pepsi Center, located west of Denver’s main downtown district.  These closures have been announced:

• Speer Boulevard: closed between I-25 and Lawrence Street from 9:00 am Aug. 25 to Aug. 28, except
  for two lanes in each direction from 6:00 am to 9:00 am.
• Southbound Speer Boulevard: closed from Larimer Street to Colfax Avenue between 11:00 am and
  3:00 pm Aug. 25-27.
• Delgany, Little Raven, Wazee, Wynkoop and Wewatta Streets: closed between Speer Boulevard and
  15th Street.
• Auraria Parkway: closed from Bannock Street to Speer Boulevard from Aug. 24 to Aug. 28.
• Westbound Colfax Avenue: closed from Bannock Street to Speer Boulevard 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
  Aug. 25-27.
• Bannock Street: closed between 14th Avenue and Colfax Avenue 10:00 am- 3:00 pm Aug. 25-27.

On the final day of the convention, road closures will shift to a parade route leading to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium for the acceptance speech. The following roads will be closed:

• Interstate 25: closed between Interstate 70 and 6th Avenue from approximately 1730 until the end of festivities.
• Colfax Avenue: closed from Mariposa Street to Federal Boulevard from 0900 until convention activities end.
• Federal Boulevard: from Colfax to 20th Avenue, one northbound lane will close from 0900 to 1500.

Other than the above mentioned closings and restrictions, traffic should be manageable.  The convention hours will run from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm each day to minimize the impact on rush hour traffic.  Those traveling near the Pepsi Center should consider taking the following alternate routes:

• East and northeast: use Martin Luther King Boulevard, 18th Avenue, 13th Avenue or 8th Avenue
• South and southeast: use Downing, Clarkson or Logan streets
• West and southwest: use 6th Avenue or northbound I-25 to 20th Street
• Northwest: Use I-25 to Park Avenue West or 20th Street

Light rail and bus routes will also be affected during the convention.  Services will be suspended on light rail C and E lines between the Pepsi Center and Union Station.  Passengers heading downtown must exit at the Invesco Field Station.  There will be various changes in bus routes due to the road closings, so plan accordingly.  Detailed information about these changes can be found at the Regional Transportation District website at www.rtd-denver.com.

Security

The city and county of Denver has made $18.2 million in security-related purchases to prepare for the Democratic National Convention.  These include $2.1 million in personal-protection equipment for police officers, $1 million in traffic barricades, and $525,000 for equipment for the Sheriff’s Department to aid in processing people if any mass arrests should occur.  There will be 900 extra police officers, including 300 from neighboring Aurora, Colorado.   Denver police officers have undergone 30 hours of additional mission-specific training programs in preparation for the convention.  They have been trained comprehensive training focusing on the safe movement of crowds.  According to Denver Police Chief, Gerald Whitman, “the emphasis is not on arresting people but on gaining voluntary compliance with requests that enable everyone to safely exercise their First Amendment rights.”  The police will not have a mandatory arrest policy for violators, but will most likely issue a citation rather than slap handcuffs on them.

There will be about 2,900 Army and Air guardsmen helping to secure the facilities and to be ready to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents.  This will include two teams of 500 men with bio-suits in case there are any reports of suspicious substances.  Thousands of other guardsmen will also be on call if necessary.  Nearly 100 Transportation Security Officers will aid the Secret Service with screening at the airport.  Special TSA strike teams comprised of air marshals, transportation security inspectors and officers, behavior detection officers, and bomb-sniffing dogs will conduct security sweeps through the duration of the convention as well. The Secret Service has also established 17 working groups for each convention that include officials from other federal, state, and local agencies which include air security, counterterrorism, public affairs, credentialing, crisis management, and consequence management.

The Secret Service will be conducting an eight-hour sweep of Invesco field starting at midnight on Wednesday.  The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted area airspace around Denver and designated it a “National Defense Airspace.”  Customs and Border Protection will also help secure airspace around the convention sites.  The National Nuclear Security Administration will also do a sweep of the venues for nuclear material and undercover officials will walk around during the conventions with radiation detection equipment.  

Nearly 30,000 demonstrators are expected to visit Denver to protest at the convention.  Potential targets for demonstrators include the Federal Reserve Bank, the United States Mint and the federal courthouse.  An official protest zone has been designated in the far southeast corner of Parking Lot A of the Pepsi Center, with marches allowed to occur between the hours of 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.  Clashes with police are possible if protesters attempt to engage in any unscheduled activities outside of the designated protest zone and march route.