What to Expect This Weekend From the Scaled-Back RNC

Some uptown street closures, parking restrictions, 336 delegates

Even a minimal version of the Republican National Convention, which technically begins Monday, will complicate Charlotteans’ attempts to traverse and park uptown this weekend. 

People will be able to get to homes, businesses, and tourist attractions, “you’ll just see some additional events going on uptown,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Major Steve Brochu said during a news conference this week. “We’re open for business as we would normally be. Just with that, know that there’s going to be a little more patience involved in getting through to where you need to get to.”

City and convention officials expect 336 delegates in the Convention Center on Monday for the formal nomination of President Donald Trump. The White House confirmed Friday that Trump and his daughter Ivanka will tour a food relief program site in Henderson County that day, although it remained unclear whether they would make an appearance in Charlotte, McClatchy reported.

In Charlotte this weekend, the most noticeable signs of convention activity will occur on uptown streets, some of which will be closed from 6 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. Commuters and residents can expect to encounter delays and detours as early as 6 a.m. Sunday, the U.S. Secret Service said in a news release. The closures:

• Southbound Interstate 277 exit ramp onto South College Street.
• South College between West Morehead and East Hill streets.
• South College between the Westin Hotel and 3rd Street.
• South Brevard Street between East Stonewall and 3rd streets.
• East Stonewall between The Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and South Caldwell Street.
• East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from the middle of the block (between South Tryon and South College streets) and South Caldwell.
• All alleyways and internal roadways within the defined area.

Parking restrictions, which will begin 6 p.m. Friday and lift at 7 a.m. Tuesday:

• Davidson between MLK and 3rd (both sides of street).
• 3rd between Church and Brevard streets (both sides of street).
• College between Morehead and 3rd (both sides of street).
• Tryon between Morehead and 3rd.
• Stonewall between Church and Caldwell.

In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration is prepared to enforce a “No Drone Zone” within a 30-nautical-mile radius and 18,000-foot ceiling over the city center from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. CMPD is prepared for the delegates and their families to be on uptown streets all weekend, along with the potential for protests. Brochu said the department doesn’t have a specific estimate of how many protesters might show up, “but we don’t expect to see a lot at this point.”

For more information, visit the city’s interactive street closure map and follow the @RNC_Security Twitter account.