Life march to shut roads

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Roads surrounding the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court will be closed for much of today as thousands of protesters converge on the Mall to mark the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

The 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling was yesterday.

Also, D.C. police will activate 19 surveillance cameras around the Mall, the White House and from Union Station to Georgetown to watch for suspicious activity during the March for Life rally and any counterdemonstrations.

D.C. commuters can expect detours today as police close streets, from Third to 14th streets Northwest between Pennsylvania and Independence avenues, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Officials yesterday expected that the streets will be closed until 3:30 or 4 p.m. today. Streets will be opened intermittently as the protesters pass.

The march is to begin at noon after a rally at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, at the intersection of Seventh Street and Independence Avenue Southwest. From there, the march will proceed north to Constitution Avenue, turn right and continue to the Capitol, and then the Supreme Court.

The District's surveillance cameras will be activated at 7 a.m. today.

The footage will be monitored in the Joint Operations Command Center of the Metropolitan Police headquarters.

The 2006 March for Life in the District is expected to draw more supporters than any other rally across the country.

Last year, up to 200,000 were estimated to have attended the march.