HOUSTON - There will be tight security and strict procedures in place for the visitation of Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Church on Friday.
Those who plan to attend cannot park directly at the church but will instead have to park at Second Baptist about 2 miles away – entering from Voss Road.
That parking lot will open at 10 a.m. and there visitors will go through a metal detector and a security screening.
Shuttle service to St. Martin's will start at 11:30 a.m. and the public is invited to pay their respects to the former First Lady from noon until midnight.
Oversized bags or purses will not be allowed. Don’t bring over-sized bags or purses.
Thousands are expected to attend. There will also be dignitaries and heads-of-state in town for the funeral the next day.
There will be road closures as well. We're told Woodway Drive between the two churches will be closed to traffic and will only be open for shuttle buses.
Police say Woodway will be closed between Pine Shadows Drive and Post Oak Lane, by the Loop.
West of that – traffic will be restricted. Sage Road will also be shut down.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo advises community members to be patient this weekend. He says Barbara Bush is the closest thing to “Texas royalty” we have and large crowds are expected.
“Our goal in the upcoming days is to, 1 – have an operation that keeps everyone safe. 2 - minimizes the impact to the community, but 3 - that we conduct ourselves in a manner that brings pride to the city of Houston."
Chief Acevedo adds that all eyes will be on Houston this weekend and he wants his department to conduct itself in a manner that will “honor the Bush family.”
