VP Harris and motorcade are coming to Durham Friday. What we know so far about traffic
Relatively few people are likely to meet Vice President Kamala Harris in person when she visits Durham on Friday. More are likely to experience the traffic jams created as her motorcade moves through town.
The White House has not publicly announced where Harris will go or when. But Downtown Durham Inc., the downtown booster group, is warning its members to expect some disruptions in the city center Friday.
“The secret service does not provide specific time/location details for security reasons,” Gina Rozier, the communications director, wrote in an email. “But you should expect road closures and traffic delays especially within the loop.”
The State Highway Patrol and local police usually clear the way for visiting vice presidents and their entourage, closing off streets and roads as they move about.
Like all White House visits, Harris’ will likely begin at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Rather than pass through a terminal, she’ll likely deplane in a remote section of the airfield to her waiting motorcade.
Assuming Harris is headed to downtown Durham, the two likeliest options are Interstate 40 to I-887 and the Durham Freeway or U.S. 70 to I-887 and the Durham Freeway. The motorcade may bring traffic to a standstill, but the delays should be relatively short as it hustles through.
This will be Harris’ 10th trip to North Carolina since taking office, including an earlier visit to Durham in March 2022. The White House says she’ll be touting the administration’s efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and support small businesses, “including in underserved communities.”
She’ll be joined by Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
The White House is usually tight-lipped about the travel plans of presidents and vice presidents. And even when the planned destination becomes known, there are often unscheduled stops or detours.
When President Joe Biden came to Raleigh in January, the main event was at a community center in North Raleigh. But before he left town, Biden stopped at a Cook Out restaurant on Falls of Neuse Road, where he ordered a bacon cheeseburger, french fries and a milkshake.
