Donald Trump to surrender in Fulton County

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to surrender to Fulton County jail tonight; he said he will surrender around 7:30 p.m. That would likely mean he is landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 6:45 p.m.

After landing, he will travel by motorcade to the Rice Street jail to be booked. The Rice Street jail is nearly 15 miles away from Hartsfield-Jackson, which guarantees his arrival will have some impact on rush-hour traffic in Atlanta.

The Secret Service doesn’t publish motorcade routes ahead of time, so we don’t know what route he’ll take to the jail or even if he will go directly from the airport to the jail. He could very well head somewhere else first.

If you ask Google Maps, Trump could take a few direct routes from the airport to the jail. Almost all of them have some impact on the downtown connector. The question is how much of the connector could be closed by his arrival.

Option #1: I-85 to I-20, I-20 to Lowery Boulevard

One option the motorcade could take is going up the connector before merging onto Abernathy Freeway and getting off the freeway at Lowery Boulevard just south of Atlanta University Center. The motorcade would then take a turn on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway before going to the jail.

Option #2: I-85 to Langford Parkway, Langford Parkway to Lowery Boulevard

If you’re looking to avoid Trump traffic, that means avoiding Lowery Boulevard and the connector. Almost every route from the airport to the jail involves those two roads; the rest is a matter of how he gets from one to the other. This route would see Trump turning from I-85 to Langford Parkway before getting onto Lowery Boulevard just south of the Lakewood MARTA stop, taking Lowery to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and going to the jail.

Option #3: I-85 to North Avenue, North Avenue to Northside Drive, Northside Drive to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway

This option would see Trump avoid Lowery Boulevard entirely, instead taking I-85 to North Avenue, passing Georgia Tech and taking a right onto Northside Drive before turning onto Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and reaching Rice Street.

Option #4: Lowery Boulevard to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway

This option would see Trump head all the way up Lowery Boulevard, closing off one of west Atlanta’s main thoroughfares. However, it would avoid the downtown connector and avoid having to close down one of the busiest traffic corridors in the country.

Option #5: Lowery Boulevard to Northside Drive, Northside Drive to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway

If Trump feels the moment and wants the photo op of his motorcade passing Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he could head up Lowery Boulevard before taking a turn onto Northside Drive and passing the stadium before turning onto Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

This option would have the biggest impact on the Falcons game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We don’t know what route Trump will take until he’s on the move. If you’re driving to the game, you may want to reach the stadium before Trump lands at 6:45 p.m. and avoid the whole problem entirely.

Give me the short version already!

Avoid I-85 between Georgia Tech and the airport, Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway between Maddox Park and the connector and Lowery Boulevard entirely if you can between 6:30 p.m. and roughly 9 p.m. We don’t how long the booking process will take, but Trump already has a bond agreement so he likely won’t spend any time in the Rice Street Jail. The former president should be in and out of Atlanta in a matter of hours.