ATLANTA — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are due to debate on Thursday at CNN's Midtown studio.
11Alive's Traffic Expert, Crash Clark, said planning will be key to avoiding traffic on Thursday.
"It’s going to be a nightmare, both sides of the connector, especially once they start shutting it down and staging Georgia State Patrol," Clark said.
To avoid this, Crash said to avoid Interstate 75 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., given Biden's arrival at the Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Trump arrives at 5:30 p.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, meaning drivers should also be clear of that area from then to 6:30 p.m.
"You actually have to time yourself in and around all this traffic," Crash said.
More specifically, Biden is set to arrive at 3:25 p.m. at the Marietta Reserve Base, which means drivers can expect a rolling roadblock down I-75: Georgia State Patrol will completely shut down South Loop, Delk Road, Windy Hill, and others.
"Expect major delays along I-75. Highway 41 will be your alternate route, but even Highway 41 near Dobbins shut down," Crash said.
Regarding Trump, the closures are expected to go up the connector.
"Shutting down everything," Clark said. "Every entrance, every exit."