Obama arrives, along with rolling roadblocks

President Barack Obama brought traffic to a stop down the I-75 corridor when he arrived for a visit in Atlanta this morning, and commuters can expect more more of the same in the afternoon.

Obama arrived at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Atlanta for a speech to the Disabled American Veterans at 11:20 a.m. He later planned to attend a fundraiser at the same hotel on Peachtree Street.

After Air Force One landed in Marietta's Dobbins AFB, the presidential motorcade used a rolling road block to get to downtown Atlanta within 30 minutes. Police shut major arteries around that feed into I-75, and also briefly closed I-285 in both directions at the juncture with I-75.

Obama is expected to leave the metro area around 2:30 p.m., which means the roadblocks will be repeated heading back to Marietta.

“The presidential motorcade only requires a rolling roadblock and doesn’t cause a real delay problem -- usually only a few minutes,” wrote a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, Mark McKinnon prior to the president's arrival.

More rolling roadblocks will take place when he departs back to Marietta later this afternoon.

A spokesman for the Secret Service, Malcolm Wiley, said he couldn't discuss the presidential travel plans. "It's information that I can't share," he said. However, he said the service works closely with local officials to lessen the traffic congestion surrounding the visits.

About the Author

Ariel Hart

Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s politics team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.

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