Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to metro Atlanta on Friday afternoon added to the traffic headaches that come with another weekend filled with high-profile activities.
Other prominent events on the first weekend of spring include the NCAA Tournament basketball game at Philips Arena on Saturday, the Atlanta Auto Show all weekend and the March for Our Lives on Saturday.
FRIDAY: Pence landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport shortly after 3:45 p.m. and later spoke at the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Midtown.
He was to stick around town for the state GOP’s annual Presidents’ Day Dinner, where patrons will pay $200 for entry and $50,000 for a seat at the vice president’s table. Pence was expected to leave for Washington shortly after the dinner.
The Downtown Connector was shut down while Pence’s motorcade traveled from the airport to the hotel.
About 50,000 people are expected at the Georgia World Congress Center for the auto show. Doors will be open until 10 p.m.
SATURDAY: March Madness will be on stage again when Loyola of Chicago and Kansas State meet at Philips Arena (6:09 p.m.) for a chance to play in the Final Four.
Earlier in the day, about 12,000 people are expected to participate in Atlanta’s March for Our Lives to protest gun violence and call for tighter gun controls. The program begins at 11 a.m. at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights with speeches from Congressman John Lewis and survivors of the deadly school shooting in Florida. The march to Liberty Plaza starts at noon. Streets along the route will be closed from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Atlanta police Deputy Chief Scott Kreher said.
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If you’re not attending the NCAA Tournament game or the auto show, it would be smart to avoid Northside Drive, Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and Marietta Street during those times, said Ashley Frasca, traffic reporter for News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB.
“Or,” she said, “taking MARTA is always a great idea.”
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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