Concrete barriers were placed Friday on the plaza in front of the U.S. courthouse in downtown Spokane.

The 4,000-pound “Jersey barriers” are intended to block a vehicle from driving onto the plaza, officials said Friday.

The temporary barriers were rented as part of increased security at the Spokane federal building and others elsewhere in the United States, officials said.

In Spokane, the barriers will be used temporarily until concrete planters can be moved on the plaza to serve the same purpose, a building official said Friday.

In the long run, the General Services Administration is seeking congressional funding to redesign the plaza, which includes an aging water fountain.