Safety precautions draw complaints

Boston will pay the price for holding a convention at a transportation hub in an age of terrorism, as local and federal officials yesterday detailed their plans to shut down North Station and Interstate 93 during the Democratic National Convention, a double whammy that is expected to affect nearly 1 million drivers and commuters in the last week of July.

Boston police, the State Police, and the US Secret Service said the closures were necessary for security reasons.

"Our goal is to provide a safe and secure environment for all event participants and the general public," Steven Ricciardi, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Boston office, said at a press conference at Boston police headquarters.

Still, many aren't happy. Echoing the sentiments of some commuters, US Representative Stephen J. Lynch, Democrat of South Boston, said the security precautions go too far.

"I work in a city for half the week with 100 senators, 435 members of Congress, the president and vice president, the entire Cabinet and the Supreme Court, a lot of targets that are high-value targets for a terrorist attack, and we don't shut down the expressways," Lynch said. "There's got to be a better way to handle this. I can be persuaded that this is necessary, but I'm not there yet."

At a press briefing yesterday, the MBTA announced alternative routes for the four commuter rail lines into North Station, which will stop in Cambridge, Woburn, Winchester, Malden, Lynn, and Chelsea, where riders can transfer to the subway or buses, beginning Friday, July 23.

T buses will be allowed to use I-93, along with emergency vehicles, during the evening closures of the highway. Commuter boat service to Lovejoy Wharf will be suspended for the week.

Subway riders bound for North Station and the FleetCenter will have to get out at Haymarket station three blocks away.

"There is going to be some pain for people," said State Police Colonel Thomas Foley, who is coordinating the massive police presence to direct drivers away from I-93.

Transportation consultants said there are three key elements to making the closure go smoothly: good alternative routes, plenty of lead time to plan detours, and a massive public awareness campaign to persuade drivers to stay home or leave early to use alternative routes during the closures.

"Public awareness and information is the most important element to the plan," said Jeff Larson, general manager of the traffic monitoring service, Smart-Routes. "The convention organizers or whoever is putting the transportation plans in place must do everything within their power to make sure that people are made fully aware of what is happening when, what is closed, and what the alternatives are."

When accidents have shut down I-93 in the past, such as the wreck of a lumber truck in 1996 and a bridge failure near the FleetCenter on Memorial Day in 1999, drivers adjusted, and catastrophic gridlock did not result, Larson said.

Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole said that "we're facing unprecedented challenges" in balancing security measures with commuter convenience. Security officials will continue to fine-tune the plan as the convention approaches, she said.

MBTA Police Chief Joseph Carter said that despite the North Station shutdown for commuter rail and subway service, mass transit remained the best option for anyone who normally drives. "We will encourage people to take the MBTA," he said.

Commuters reacted yesterday with a mixture of resignation and skepticism.

Robert Hoffman, an information systems manager from Nashua, said he is hoping to travel for business that week.

"I knew it was going to happen. I'm definitely not thrilled about it," said Hoffman, who rides the commuter rail to North Station from Lowell every day. "But if someone wanted to do something bad, even with everything shutting down, they probably could."

Howard Schindler, a division director with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Boston office, said his carpool commute from Londonderry would be impossible with the closing of I-93. He plans to work out of a nearby agency office in Manchester, N.H., and most of the division's 200 employees are being relocated. Schindler said he will glad to be able to avoid the chaos that might ensue from the three-day event.

"This is life in the 21st century," Schindler said. "I guess it's better to be safe than sorry."

Mac Daniel and Michael Rosenwald of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Anthony Flint can be reached at flint@globe.com.