Houston braces for World Cup finale, fireworks and holiday crowds
Holiday traffic and a World Cup finale collided as Houston layered stadium security, EaDo barricades and downtown fireworks onto one packed July 4.
An 8-foot anti-climb fence, enhanced screening with metal detectors and bag checks, and drone restrictions surrounded Houston Stadium on Saturday as Canada and Morocco were set to meet there on a Fourth of July already crowded with baseball, fireworks and downtown festival traffic. City leaders had spent more than two years on the tournament buildout, and the strain on Harris County showed up in the same places that absorb the city’s biggest crowds: NRG Park, East Downtown and the routes linking both to downtown.
Houston officials called themselves “over prepared” for security, and FBI Houston said an online threat tied to Houston Stadium had “no credibility.” The response around the venue included an 8-foot anti-climb fence, enhanced screening with metal detectors and bag checks, and drone restrictions around the stadium perimeter. Chris Canetti, president of the Houston World Cup Host Committee, said the coordination among local, state and federal agencies had been extensive and urged fans to stay alert and report anything suspicious.
Fans heading to the FIFA Fan Festival in East Downtown were expected to encounter additional barricades near the main pavilion to control crowd flow and keep attendance at manageable levels. The festival was scheduled to run for 39 days and draw about 15,000 visitors a day on EaDo streets that already handle game-day traffic from Shell Energy Stadium, downtown parking garages and the light-rail and bus connections feeding the area.
That pressure was set to rise again in the afternoon and evening. The Houston Astros scheduled a July 4 homestand at Daikin Park with a 3:00 p.m. street fest, a 6:10 p.m. game and postgame fireworks, while Freedom Over Texas typically drew about 35,000 people inside the gates and more spectators nearby for the display over Buffalo Bayou.
Officials said the tournament could bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Houston and generate about $1.5 billion in regional economic impact. The city also pointed to a $55 million capital improvement plan at NRG Park, including work on elevators, escalators, seating, paint, flooring, a fabric roof replacement and new endzone video boards.
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