Parking lots to be off-limits

The motoring public will have no access to surface parking lots anywhere near the FleetCenter during the Democratic National Convention, and parking garages in the area will be sharply restricted, according to draft plans set to be discussed at a special briefing for business leaders this morning.

In addition, all deliveries to businesses and offices in the area will have to be made before 2 p.m. every day during convention week, the last week of July. Delivery truck drivers will have to park outside the area known as Bulfinch Triangle -- bounded by Merrimac, Causeway, and North Washington streets -- and wheel or carry in all supplies.

The proposed restrictions on parking and deliveries, as well as the full closure of Causeway Street, are all being mulled because of security concerns. Officials earlier announced the late-afternoon-through-evening closure of Interstate 93, North Station commuter rail, and the area subway stop, to thwart a possible terrorist attack.

This morning's briefing, hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and led by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston police, transit police officials, and agents from the US Secret Service, will kick off a public awareness campaign providing tips for employers, commuters, and others trying to go about business in Boston before the convention starts on July 26 and through its end on July 29.

Menino spokesman Seth Gitell would not discuss any details, but urged residents and city workers to stay tuned for information on how to deal with the extensive restrictions and detours.

"This is the first political convention since 9/11," Gitell said. "The mayor is working with all appropriate security authorities to make sure it's as safe and successful as possible."

In addition to Menino, others expected at the briefing include Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole; Scott Shaefe, a special agent with the United States Secret Service; Robert Dunford, Boston police superintendent; John Martino, deputy superintendent for the MBTA Police; and Julie Burns, executive director for Boston 2004, the convention organizing group.

Security planners have split up the FleetCenter and immediate vicinity into "hard" and "soft" security zones. The hard zone includes the venue itself, North Station, the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building, and parking areas near Nashua Street on the north side of the FleetCenter. The parking garage under North Station will be closed, as will Causeway Street, almost in its entirety.

The soft zone, where people will be free to walk around without credentials but will be heavily monitored by Boston police, includes the Bulfinch Triangle and portions of the West End and Charles River Park residential areas. Generally, only law enforcement and emergency vehicles will be allowed in this zone.

Because area businesses and offices need packages, goods, and supplies delivered to them, delivery trucks will be allowed, but will have to park on Merrimac or North Washington streets and be away from the area by 2 p.m. Surface parking lots normally filled during FleetCenter events will be closed to the public, and garages just outside the Bulfinch Triangle district, such as 101 Merrimac St. or the Charles River Park garage, will be available only for monthly parkers and residents.

The closure of I-93, which passes by the FleetCenter, will begin at some outlying entrance ramps and feeder roads -- Route 128, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and the Sumner Tunnel, for example -- around 4 p.m., state officials say. Riders on the Orange and Green lines will not be able to get off at North Station, and should instead alight at Haymarket. North Station also will be closed to commuter rail beginning the Friday before the convention week; riders must transfer to buses or the subway well outside the city.