The New York Times reported that on Tuesday night, the Secret Service began erecting an eight-foot-tall black fence along the park’s western edge, from 59th Street to 81st Street — a mile-long barrier with only occasional openings for dog walkers, joggers and bird watchers.
In addition to the fence along Central Park West, there are metal police barriers lacing the lower half of the park, where Francis will ride his popemobile along the park’s West Drive. The barriers will be used to contain the tens of thousands of visitors who won tickets to the park appearance through a lottery.
The overnight fence along Central Park was just one part of an ambitious mobilization of security measures that include protection of the air space over Manhattan and the rivers. On Thursday afternoon, a beefed-up Coast Guard presence was visible on the Hudson River from the shore in Hoboken, N.J.
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