What you need to know about road closures, airport restrictions and public services

Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville. The visit is expected to cause some disruption to downtown activities.

Road closures and parking

For safety reasons, roads will be closed for the event from Tuesday noon, including:

• 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 Place

From Monday evening, on-street parking will be prohibited in the following streets:

• Haywood St. between Battery Park and Page Ave.
• Page Ave. between Haywood St. and Battle Square
• Hiawassee Street
• Vanderbilt Square
• W. Walnut St.

Vehicles parked in closed areas will be towed away.

The roads are expected to reopen around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

The municipal parking garages remain open. The Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville parking garage is only accessible from Rankin Ave.

Parking fees will be charged in the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Rankin and Wall Street parking garages beginning at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Airport activity

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight ban on Asheville airspace from 12:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday for the duration of Trump’s visit.

“We expect minimal disruption to airport operations as there is no event taking place at the airport,” airport spokeswoman Tina Kinsey said in a statement to BPR. “We advise travelers to allow themselves plenty of time to arrive at the airport at least two hours before boarding time.”

Public Services

Bus routes in the city center will be changed. Lines N3 and N4 will be diverted from Tuesday 5 a.m. to Wednesday midnight. The following stops will be omitted: 881, 974, 973, 975, 963, 787. Follow the instructions from Iride and ridetheart.com.

Garbage and recycling pickup service will be suspended in the Central Business District on Wednesday. Community members and businesses should put out their garbage bins by 5 p.m. Tuesday for pickup between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Pack Memorial Library will be closed Wednesday. All other libraries will remain open, according to Buncombe County authorities.

All other businesses in the district remain open.

Police presence

According to APD, there will be increased security measures, including vehicle, foot and bicycle patrols, to “ensure a strong and visible presence throughout the event.”

Protests allowed in three areas

APD has designated three areas for protesters for the election rally on Wednesday

• 37 Side Avenue
• Pritchard Park
• Pack square

APD also reminded all participants and protesters to stay on the sidewalks, obey traffic laws and avoid blocking streets. According to state law, “demonstrations, parades and marches that block streets or intersections or impede the flow of traffic are prohibited unless specifically permitted.”

In a Facebook post, the APD stated that “violations of the above prohibited behaviors will result in enforcement action.”

Helen Chickering, Laura Hackett, Jose Sandoval and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report. This story has been updated to reflect that garbage and recycling services will be suspended only for the Central Business District.