The countdown was on Wednesday morning to Chicago's first-ever nationally televised New Year's Eve celebration.

Road closures were already under way before dawn Wednesday, having started at 4 a.m. Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation crews were out shoveling before 5 a.m., with snow having fallen Tuesday night.

At 10 a.m., Wacker Drive from Lake Street around the bend to Wells Street will be closed, as will Franklin Street between Lake Street and Wacker Drive, and the Orleans/Franklin Street Bridge.

Other closures will follow. Beginning at 11:30 p.m. and continuing until 12:15 a.m., the Chicago River will be closed to boat traffic between Franklin Street and Columbus Drive.

Also at 11:30 p.m., the LaSalle Street, Clark Street, Dearborn Street, Wabash Avenue, and Columbus Drive bridges will close. The State Street Bridge is already closed for emergency repairs that have been going on for months and were supposed to be finished in the fall, but still are not.

Thousands of people will gather downtown to watch the fireworks show along the river, and to watch a roster of entertainment headlined by Chance the Rapper at the main stage at Wacker Drive and Franklin Street.

To get into the entrances for the event, at West Wacker Drive and Wells Street, and around the bend at North Wacker Drive and Lake Street, people will have to go through security.

Chicago police plan to step up patrols for the event. They are urging parents to keep track of their kids and be mindful of the 10 p.m. curfew for anyone under 18 unaccompanied by an adult.

Teen safety is also a top priority for a number of community groups, who said they have been in touch with officials in the Mayor's office about partnering with the city to keep the peace New Year's Eve night.

"We believe that message is clear — have a good time, have a great time, but do it all while you're being safe," said Jermaine Anderson, founder of I Am A Gentleman.

The goal is to make sure the violence that transpired downtown following the Chicago tree lighting ceremony in Millennium Park doesn't happen again.

"As we've seen in the past, this has led to violence where people were hurt and even killed," said Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling. "Chicago police department will be on top of this."

After the tree lighting, 14-year-old Armani Floyd was killed in a shooting at Adams and Dearborn streets, while seven teens were shot near State and Randolph streets.

Some community groups looking to prevent such outcomes plan to hold a news conference outside Chicago Public Safety Headquarters later Wednesday morning. They are hoping to expand their partnerships with local police and city officials.

How to get around on public transportation

The Chicago Transit Authority will have service on both buses and trains, which will be free on New Year's Eve from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., CPD Supt. Snelling said there is enough manpower on the CTA to do everything possible to keep people safe.

Purple and Yellow Line trains to and from Evanston and Skokie will only run until 2 a.m.

Metra will offer free rides on all trains arriving at or departing from its downtown stations after 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Alcohol will be banned on trains after 7 p.m. that evening.

All Metra lines will run on reduced schedules New Year's Eve. To allow those ringing in the New Year enough time to get on, the last trains for the night from the BNSF, Metra Electric, Milwaukee District North, Milwaukee District West, Rock Island, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West lines will leave downtown after 1 a.m. New Year's Day. The last Southwest Service train will leave downtown at 12:42 a.m.

In the suburbs, Pace buses are also offering free rides on New Year's Eve, beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday and continuing until 4 a.m. Thursday. Pace is also offering free paratransit rides during that period.

Pace reminds riders to review holiday schedules, since regular routes will be limited over New Year's.