Trump and Harris debate on ABC; Trump says he wants two more
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris have agreed to a debate.
Former President Donald Trump’s appearance in Asheville, scheduled for August 14, will result in street closures, changes in parking availability and more in the city, and significant delays on freeways are expected.
Lt. Joshua Dowdle of the North Carolina Highway Patrol told the Asheville Citizen Times that while efforts are being made to reduce delays, motorists should expect disruptions on I-26, I-240 and I-40 near the interchange.
“We have been working on these things since Friday and are still working to minimize the impact as much as possible,” Dowdle said. “But given the volume of traffic in our area, there is no doubt there will be delays, so we advise people to avoid the area as much as possible.”
More: Trump rally in Asheville: Road closures, parking changes, trash, bus routes: What you should know
Motorway closures 14 August
Although there will likely be highway closures for Trump’s motorcade throughout the day, Dowdle said the Highway Patrol cannot provide much information in advance.
“To ensure the operational safety of our motorcade, we will not announce specific times when the road will be closed or specific streets that will be closed,” Dowdle said.
The general time frame he could give was broad.
“The streets of the city of Asheville will be closed at noon, so people should expect there to be some traffic delays from around noon until probably 6 or 7 p.m. tomorrow.”
Dowdle also advised drivers to be aware of the city’s planned road closures. A city press release said the following roads were already closed this morning, August 13:
- Haywood Street from Battery Park Ave. to O’Henry Ave.
- Page Avenue from Haywood St. to Battle Square
- Walnut Street from Haywood St. to Rankin Ave.
- Hiawassee Street from Flint St. to N. Lexington Ave.
- Flint Street from Haywood St. to Cherry St.
- Vanderbilt Square
All roads are expected to reopen around 10pm on Wednesday 14 August.
More: Asheville police chief says he learned ‘lessons’ from 2016 Trump rally and prepared for August 14
Delays at Asheville Airport on August 14
Although delays on the highway are expected, Asheville Regional Airport representative Tina Kinsey told the Citizen Times that the airport does not expect any significant impact on operations and will not implement any increased security measures.
“There is no event taking place at the airport, so we do not anticipate any major disruption to flight operations. We therefore advise customers to allow extra time when traveling and to check the traffic report for the route from their home to the airport,” Kinsey said.
She advised anyone flying out of AVL to arrive at the airport at least two hours before boarding time. The airport could not provide the scheduled arrival time of Trump’s flight.
More: Donald Trump is holding a rally in western North Carolina. But why in Asheville?
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].
