Downtown road closures, security measures announced for NATO 2025
International delegates arrive downtown next week, and Dayton will be heavily impacted by road closures, detours and part of downtown being sectioned off as a security zone. City leaders held a conference Thursday revealing more on how the city will be impacted.
WATCH: City leaders, police share NATO road closures, security info
Starting on Monday, Dayton will start the process of a multi-day makeover, which will shut down several blocks in the downtown area.
'Our primary responsibility is to make sure that every citizen, whether they are coming from out of town or living here in the city of Dayton, that they are safe,' said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr.
A security zone entitled the NATO Village will encompass a roughly 10 square block area of downtown, where nearly 1,200 delegates will meet beginning next Thursday.
On Monday and Tuesday, police will begin establishing a full perimeter around this area, including officers, barriers, fences and more.
A few areas will be accessibly to pedestrians, with police organizing maps to define where people can park and walk to access downtown residences and businesses.
'We understand we're impacting a large part of the downtown business area, and a lot of new residential areas,' said Maj. Chris Malson, DPD. 'I would like to say we have it all figured out, but if we miss something, give us a little bit of patience.'
Dayton police are calling on departments from all over the state, as the last time an event of this size happened was at a KKK rally in 2019. Police say this event is of a much larger scope.
'That event was one day, and this event is seven days,' said Malson.
Dayton police also said the downtown area will take several days to clean up, but roads will be the first priority.
'We're going to do our absolute best to get the city opened up by then, we're hoping to get the roadways open back up so that we can minimize the impact on the individuals in that area,' said Malson.
Police say they will share updates on social media throughout the event. The Dayton Police Department will also have a dedicated phone line for those with questions specifically regarding the NATO Assembly and downtown impacts: 937-333-NATO (6286)
Click here to watch the full news conference, or scroll through the slides below to learn the specifics of detours, pedestrian access and more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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