Gingrich: Reopen Capital Boulevard

House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday the barriers on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House should come down and the boulevard be reopened to most traffic.

Traffic was barred two years ago after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.

Gingrich, R-Ga., said the Clinton administration and security personnel had overreacted in permanently detouring traffic from the busy downtown stretch that is often called “America’s Main Street.”

“I would allow any traffic except heavy trucks and simply make sure that you have police there in case anybody pulls up and stops,” the speaker said. The police could simply “tell them to keep moving.”

The federal government also has taken extra security precautions around the Capitol and other federal buildings - but none so dramatic as the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue.