Downtown Milwaukee braces for an extremely busy Saturday

MILWAUKEE -- Folks from all across the country are flocking to Milwaukee this weekend. There are some big events going on. The President is visiting and activities like the Brewer Mini-Marathon are expected to draw huge numbers. City workers say they’re prepared for the crowd. 

Stacked and ready to assemble, barricades line the route of the Brewers Mini-Marathon route. As folks run the 13.1 mile race, city officials said the inconvenience won`t be too bad for drivers and nearby residents.

“We have a rolling street closure which means 15 minutes before the runners get to a specific part of the route they’ll close the road and once all the runners are past that part of the road they’ll reopen it. So the whole route is not shut down the whole time,” said Sandy Rusch Walton with the Department of Public Works.

As one event ends, another begins. Saturday marks the second annual doors open event.  Walton said, thousands of people will flock downtown to tour some of Milwaukee’s most notable landmarks. She added, “It’s a chance for people to experience city buildings or venues around the city that perhaps you never had a chance to go into like City Hall. You get to go up into the bell tower, the clock tower so you know where the big bell is. You can go into a bridge house where people open and close bridges. The U.S. Bank building you can go up to the 40th floor and see forever."

Drew Roberts said, “It’s good for business too.” He welcomes the foot traffic. Roberts recently opened The Cornerstone 4 weeks ago and it's in the middle of all the action. “Exposure is always nice to kind of get out there and let people know,” he added.

Roberts will have plenty of passersby.  Not too far away, President Barack Obama will be attending a fundraiser and rally. Many agree that the busy weekend isn’t just good for business, but community morale as well.  “It’s going to be a wonderful weekend in Milwaukee. We’re geared up and ready to go.”

Officials said there shouldn't be too much traffic and there will definitely be ample parking. They just advise you give yourself a little extra time. We're told some streets may be closed  off briefly during the President’s motorcade, but overall things should run smoothly for all of the events.