Six months after a viral video showed several men firing automatic weapons along the Margaret McDermott Bridge on New Year’s Eve, Dallas police are taking new steps to prevent similar incidents during the Fourth of July holiday.

The Dallas Police Department announced it will implement first-of-its-kind road closures Saturday from 9 to 9:30 p.m., beginning a half hour before the end of the Klyde Warren Park Independence Day Celebration.

“We’re letting them know it’s not going to happen again. It’s going to be different and this is just another way for us to keep everyone safe,” Assistant Chief Catrina Shead Comeaux said.

The temporary closures will affect the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the I-30 and I-35E approaches to Woodall Rodgers Freeway, the U.S. 75 approach to Woodall Rodgers Freeway and streets surrounding Klyde Warren Park.

The Dallas Police Department discussed its public safety plan for July Fourth events in the city on Thursday afternoon.

Police said they hope the closures will prevent the stalled traffic that occurred on New Year’s Eve, when vehicles stopped on roadways as people set off illegal fireworks and fired guns into the air.

“Across the board, they need to know not to do it,” Comeaux said.

Dallas police said they received more than 5,700 calls related to random gunfire between July 1 and July 5 last year.

The department also plans to increase its presence in the Highland Hills and Dixon Circle neighborhoods, which saw the highest number of random gunfire calls during last year’s Fourth of July weekend.

For those attending the FIFA Fan Fest fireworks celebration Friday, police are encouraging people to carpool, use rideshare services or take public transportation. Street closures will also be in place near Gates 5 and 6 at Fair Park.

“Please do not park your vehicles on the freeway, roadway or on the center median along the outer perimeter of Fair Park,” Sgt. Kelvin Pope said.

Police said the increased enforcement and temporary road closures are intended to prevent dangerous celebrations and random gunfire along some of Dallas’ busiest roadways during the holiday weekend.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.