mayor bill de blasio, left, and police commissioner james o'neill, right, at today's press conference. | ap photo/bebeto matthews by azi paybarah 11/18/16 05:36 pm est the stretch of fifth avenue in front of president-elect donald trump<u+2019>s eponymous midtown manhattan tower, where he lives and has been conducting meetings ahead of his january inauguration, will remain open to buses, passenger vehicles and pedestrians, but not trucks, security officials said friday. pedestrians will undergo a bag check before being allowed to enter the lobby of the building, which was made into a public space as part of an earlier deal that allowed trump to erect a building larger than was previously permitted, officials said. story continued below the final cost of the additional security needed around trump<u+2019>s home, which is being provided by the new york police department and federal secret service, has not been determined. city officials said that is being negotiated. the details were announced friday by mayor bill de blasio, top nypd officials and david beach, the special agent-in-charge at the secret service<u+2019>s new york office. beach was provided no specific details about the federal component to the security around the building. asked about protecting trump<u+2019>s children <u+2014> some of whom visited the white house and participated in white house transition team meetings <u+2014> beach said, <u+201c>as family members of the president-elect, they are entitled to some security.<u+201d> beach also said presidents are allowed to designate one location outside of washington as their official residency. trump frequently spends time at a handful of properties he owns in new york city, florida and elsewhere. asked if he is concerned washington will short-change the city for the security costs, considering trump has <u+201c>a history of not fully reimbursing contractors,<u+201d> de blasio said, "this is public service." <u+201c>this is a whole new reality,<u+201d> he added. the mayor said there is precedent for washington to reimburse new york city for similar costs, <u+201c>but now new york city is being asked to do something on a scale that has never been done before.<u+201d> de blasio said, <u+201c>i think this rises above partisanship,<u+201d> and he said he was confident washington will acknowledge that <u+201c>the nypd is carrying a burden for the entire nation.<u+201d> nypd commissioner james o<u+2019>neill said the department is "in a conversation" about reimbursement costs. o<u+2019>neill said the plan announced friday is <u+201c>fluid<u+201d> and will be reassessed after trump<u+2019>s inauguration in 65 days. "we are not closing fifth avenue," o<u+2019>neill said, rebutting an earlier news report that the federal government was pushing for that. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re striving for the proper balance" between security and ensuring traffic flows freely, he said. the city<u+2019>s transportation commissioner, polly trottenberg, said the city <u+201c>is going to take a look at how we handle construction permits<u+201d> in the area surround trump tower. friday, she said, <u+201c>we<u+2019>ve started our holiday embargo, which limits construction permits in the midtown area<u+201d> until january 2nd. trucks are prohibited from traveling southbound on fifth avenue, between 60th and 55th street and eastbound, on 56th street, from 6th avenue to 5th avenue, according to nypd chief of patrol carlos gomez. <u+201c>truck traffic will be diverted away from these streets,<u+201d> he said. vehicles are blocked from traveling down one street, 56th street between 5th avenue and madison avenue. a mechanical partition in the street, known as a <u+201c>delta barrier,<u+201d> has been placed there, said gomez. pedestrians will be allowed to walk <u+201c>on the south side of 56th street, but after being screened by us and the secret service,<u+201d> said gomez. also, pedestrians who want to shop nearby, or simply look at the shimmering skyscraper that has drawn a coterie of officials meeting with trump<u+2019>s transition team, will be subject to a bag search along fifth avenue, in front of the entrance to trump tower. the area has drawn protests over the last week and the nypd is bracing for more of them. small groups of protesters will <u+201c>obviously<u+201d> be allowed to gather in dedicated locations <u+201c>within sight and sound of the entrance to trump tower,<u+201d> so <u+201c>that traffic will not be impeded on fifth avenue,<u+201d> said gomez. but larger groups of protesters may require shutting down fifth avenue, which has already happened three times since the nov. 8 election, he said. a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york education policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york energy policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york health care policy and politics a free synopsis of our pro morning email about new york real estate policy and politics our morning email with must-read analysis and breaking news on state news and politics a morning email with must-read analysis and breaking news on city news and politics. a weekly round-up of legislation in city council for politics and policy professionals. a reported briefing on money in politics, executive moves, and trends in communications, lobbying and consulting. our twice-a-week digest of news on courts and the law in new york azi paybarah and jimmy vielkind's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable new yorkers.
as trump hunkers down in midtown, security officials erect protections
azi paybarah