Emptied of crowds, London's Olympic Park blocked off for construction for Paralympics

August 13, 2012 |The Associated Press

Fireworks soar over the Olympic Stadium during the Closing Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

LONDON - The Olympic Park in London has gone from party central to an empty, blocked-off construction site overnight.

Now that the games are over, the park is eerily deserted. The main stadium is blocked off by metal barriers, concession stands are closed, and the world's biggest McDonald's empty. Small groups of construction workers are working to transform the venues for use in the Paralympic Games, which begin Aug. 29.

The Olympic Park had been visited by more than 5 million people over the last 17 days.

It will be closed to the public until the Paralympics — and for almost a year afterwards, while some venues are torn down and others are modified. It will open in stages from next summer as the 227-hectare (560-acre) Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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