the stretch of fifth avenue in front of president-elect donald j. trump <u+2019>s home in trump tower will remain open to vehicle traffic for the foreseeable future, mayor bill de blasio of new york said on friday. since the election, the glass-sheathed tower, on fifth avenue between east 56th and 57th streets, has drawn thousands of protesters and gawkers, swelling congestion in that area of midtown manhattan. officials from the new york police department and the secret service have been discussing how to balance the security of mr. trump with the need to keep pedestrian and vehicle traffic flowing, particularly as the holiday season brings crowds to nearby rockefeller center and radio city musical hall. the mayor said that security planners were focused on the period between now and the inauguration on jan. 20, but that they also were preparing for the prospect that mr. trump would be a regular presence in the city during his term. <u+201c>we have never had a situation where the president of the united states would be here on such a regular basis,<u+201d> mr. de blasio said at a news conference. <u+201c>but the n.y.p.d. is up to the challenge, and the city of new york is up to the challenge.<u+201d> how much time mr. trump will spend in his manhattan residence during his presidency is unclear. as a candidate, he often flew back to new york at night, just to be at home. and he has indicated that as president he would like to be in the city when possible . so far, mr. trump, a republican, has made the tower his headquarters as he prepares for the presidency and assembles his administration. advisers, emissaries, well-wishers and prospective cabinet members can be seen crossing the marble lobby throughout the day. at the news conference, mr. de blasio, a democrat, said his administration intended to seek reimbursement from the federal government for the substantial overtime costs the city is incurring. <u+201c>we think it<u+2019>s a valid situation to turn to the federal government for the maximum reimbursement of the costs,<u+201d> he said. among the secret service agents and police officials handling presidential security at trump tower, there is a range of opinions regarding where mr. trump should spend his time. there is almost universal agreement that the president-elect<u+2019>s penthouse suite in trump tower poses more formidable security challenges than most presidential homes. dan bongino, a former secret service agent who has protected both president george w. bush and president obama, said that compared with the residences of past presidents <u+201c>the penthouse is going to be tough,<u+201d> particularly if, while president, mr. trump decided to spend significant time there. mr. trump<u+2019>s residence, at the top of the 664-foot building, is generally reached by elevator, which poses problems in terms of getting in and out quickly. some surrounding buildings have clear views to trump tower, which will need to be monitored by the secret service. and there is the challenge of the dense midtown airspace, and the need to quickly try to intercept any aircraft that might veer too close. still, mr. bongino said that during presidential trips abroad, the secret service confronts environments far more threatening than midtown. arnette f. heintze, who served on the permanent details of two presidents and was later a spokesman for the secret service, said high-rise environments were not unfamiliar. <u+201c>him living in a high-rise in midtown manhattan, the service does protective operations in and out of that environment all the time,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>once the president makes a decision they<u+2019>re doing something it<u+2019>s the service<u+2019>s job to make that secure, regardless of the situation, whether a high-rise, a war zone or the middle of fifth avenue.<u+201d> <u+201c>we accept a president for who they are and their particular lifestyle and nuances,<u+201d> added mr. heintze, who is currently the chief executive of hillard heintze, a security firm. while fifth avenue remains open to vehicle traffic for now, the special agent in charge of the secret service<u+2019>s new york office, david beach, did note that security arrangements could change at any moment. <u+201c>as a matter of practice, security plans will evolve to address emerging threats,<u+201d> he said at the news conference, speaking after the mayor. so far, fifth avenue has been closed to vehicle traffic on only three occasions in the past two weeks, to allow for the installation of concrete barriers and because of demonstrations opposing the president-elect. the police department said that last week there were seven arrests in the vicinity of trump tower. elsewhere in the city, there were 70 arrests related to mr. trump<u+2019>s victory and the demonstrations it prompted, according to statistics provided by the department. trump tower has long been open to the public, and the status of both the building and the sidewalk in front of it is unclear. while shoppers and employees heading to the luxury stores are generally permitted to pass the police checkpoints at the street corner and make their way toward the gucci store or tiffany on the block, others are turned away and told to walk on the opposite side of the street. at the news conference, police commissioner james p. o<u+2019>neill said that sidewalk and the building itself would remain open to pedestrians <u+201c>who need or want access.<u+201d> <u+201c>people will be allowed access into that building, but there will be a screening point,<u+201d> mr. o<u+2019>neill said. a version of this article appears in print on november 19, 2016, on page a10 of the new york edition with the headline: fifth ave. at trump tower  to stay open, mayor says. order reprints | today's paper | subscribe
fifth avenue in front of trump tower will stay open, de blasio says
joseph goldstein