Austin Expects Up to 100,000 Downtown for Halloween Weekend: Sixth Street Closes at 4 p.m., DWI Enforcement Stepped Up
AUSTIN — The Austin Police Department expects 80,000 to 100,000 people downtown over Halloween weekend. At an October 29 news conference, APD announced that East and West Sixth Street, from Brazos to Red River streets, will close to vehicle traffic from 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, with increased police presence and EMS and fire crews monitoring crowds.
Halloween falls on a Saturday for the first time in six years, coinciding with a University of Texas football game and the end of daylight saving time, when clocks go back at 2 a.m. on November 1. Downtown area commander Christopher Juusola said the closures and extra staffing are designed to keep drivers and pedestrians apart.
Halloween weekend is also covered by Austin's year-round No Refusal DWI initiative: between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., police can expedite blood-draw search warrants for suspected drunk drivers who refuse breath or blood tests. Corporal Jose Mendez urged pedestrians not to cross streets between cars and asked the public to report anything suspicious. APD also reminded revelers that public consumption of alcohol remains illegal in the entertainment districts.
Sixth Street is Austin's densest bar and live-music strip, and Halloween is traditionally among its biggest weekends. Police advise going out in groups, using rideshares after drinking, and keeping phones charged.
Source: GSM News (USA)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：奥斯汀第六街夜景（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。 / Sixth Street, Austin, at night (file photo). Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
