South Side, Oakland Businesses React To City's Safety Plan
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Business owners and people who live in the South Side and Oakland are reacting to the city's Super Bowl security plan.
Forbes Avenue from McKee Place to Bigelow Boulevard will close at 9 p.m. Sunday. Parking restrictions will begin at 4 p.m.
East Carson Street will follow the same schedule, closing between South 10th Street and 22nd Streets, in addition to the parking restrictions.
But will the plan work?
"If we win, it's going to be mayhem no matter how you look at it and people are going to be out of control," Jim Kostishack said. "Hopefully, not too out of control."
Peter Vokelic, a longtime South Side resident, says it's a problem in his neighborhood every weekend.
Cory Lewis, co-owner of Mario's South Side Saloon, likes the city's safety plan.
"A well-planned idea, I think that they're here to control the crowd and keep everybody happy and keep everybody moving out after the celebration's over," Lewis said.
Jason Gidas, of Gidas Flowers, says Oakland businesses got a heads up from public safety earlier this week.
"They warned us ahead time that if you have an awning to roll it back and that they will have extra police security in the area," he said.
There will be an additional 400 police officers patrolling the streets and manning both rolling and stationary DUI checkpoints.
