Construction is underway around the White House and the District’s Lafayette Park ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. Crews are erecting security fencing, viewing stands and other temporary structures.
Parts of Lafayette Park and the sidewalks around the White House have been closed off and will remain closed through February, the National Park Service said Friday.
Visitors and people engaged in protests will be able to use the northern end of Lafayette Park.
The closures make it safer for work crews and bystanders and make the delivery of heavy machines and various materials easier. Work started a month early on Oct. 1 for safety and security reasons.
The District Department of Transportation is repaving a large part of Pennsylvania Avenue for the inauguration parade, according to WTOP-FM.
Work on the platform used by the president-elect, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and other important attendees began Sept. 18 with the first-nail ceremony.
Driving the first nails into the wood that will form the platform were Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin, three Democrats — Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York — and three Republicans — Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska and House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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