[Update, 3:45 p.m.]: Two metro Atlanta interstates have reopened after former President Donald Trump traveled to Powder Springs for a campaign stop at a summit of Christian pastors around 3:45 p.m.
Lane closures were lifted on I-285 and I-20 as the Republican presidential nominee’s motorcade passed through on its way from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to the Worship With Wonders Church on Macland Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Though the interstates have reopened, GDOT data show that traffic delays remain, especially around the junction of I-285 and I-20 southwest of Atlanta.
Trump will next travel to Georgia Tech in Midtown Atlanta, where he will speak at a campaign rally set to begin at 6 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion. Crowds and traffic have already begun to slow movement in the area around 10th and Fowler streets, just off the Downtown Connector.
[Update, 3:15 p.m.]: Closures have begun on I-285, I-20 and roads in Cobb County as former President Donald Trump arrives in metro Atlanta on Monday afternoon.
Northbound lanes on the Perimeter’s inner loop are closed between Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and I-20, where westbound lanes are shut down between the Perimeter and Thornton Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Trump was scheduled to speak in front of the National Faith Advisory Board’s summit meeting in Powder Springs, where a long line stretched through the Worship With Wonders Church’s parking lot prior to his appearance. The Republican candidate is scheduled to address the gathering of Christian pastors at 4 p.m.
Traffic is already moving slow on 10th Street outside McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech, where Trump will speak at a campaign rally at 6 p.m. Trump supporters began gathering outside the institute’s basketball arena early Monday afternoon.
Traffic is expected to pick up throughout the afternoon, especially when accounting for an Atlanta Hawks home game at State Farm Arena about two miles south of McCamish Pavilion. The Hawks game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m., at the beginning of the time window when Trump is expected to make his way back to the airport.
[Original story]: Former President Donald Trump will return to metro Atlanta on Monday for two events that are expected to disrupt afternoon and evening traffic.
The Republican presidential nominee has spent more time in the Atlanta area this campaign cycle than in 2020, when he held rallies in rural Georgia in the run-up to election day, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Both Trump and his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, have made frequent visits to the metro area in recent weeks as they seek to squeeze the margins in what appears to be a very tight race, according to the AJC’s latest poll.
On Monday, Trump will speak at a summit for Christian pastors in Powder Springs in the early afternoon before holding a campaign rally at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion in the evening. According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s VIP movement alerts, Trump appears likely to arrive and depart from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Airspace restrictions for VIP movement are set to begin around the Atlanta airport at 1 p.m., per the FAA alert system. Trump is expected to head straight to Powder Springs for the faith summit, where he is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m., according to his campaign website.
Trump will address more than a thousand pastors attending the National Faith Advisory Board’s Inaugural National Faith Summit at the Worship With Wonders Church’s new campus, located at 4665 Macland Road. Doors will open at noon, and traffic is expected to begin building in the area before midday.
It’s not clear what route the Trump motorcade will take from the airport to the church, but the I-285 outer loop on the west side is likely to be shut down between 1-2 p.m. as the former president travels northwest toward Cobb County.
Trump will then head to Midtown, where he will hold a campaign rally at Georgia Tech’s 8,600-seat arena. The rally is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., according to the campaign’s website. Doors will open at 2 p.m., and traffic volume is expected to increase in the area before then.
McCamish Pavilion’s location at the corner of 10th and Fowler streets gives it close proximity to the Downtown Connector, but events at the arena can cause traffic to spill onto the interstate and spread through Midtown. The rally is likely to cause heavier than usual traffic around the highway exits onto North Avenue and 10th and 14th streets during the evening commute window.
Traffic volume could still be an issue once Trump departs campus. His motorcade is expected to head south on the Connector to the airport between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Airspace restrictions will be in place at the Atlanta airport until 9:15 p.m., according to the FAA.
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