Traffic in Oak Ridge could be disrupted Friday afternoon during president’s visit

President Barack Obama

Traffic in Oak Ridge could be disrupted during the Friday afternoon visit to west Knox County and Clinton by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife Jill.

The City of Oak Ridge sent out the traffic advisory on Thursday morning.

“The City of Oak Ridge is advising the public that traffic may be disrupted in Oak Ridge Friday afternoon due to the president’s visit to East Tennessee,” the advisory said. “Motorists should plan accordingly to arrive at their destinations on time.

“No additional information is available at this time.”

Although readers, residents, and workers have requested information on routes and possible road closures, that information has not been released, presumably for security reasons.

The president, vice president, and vice president’s wife are visiting Pellissippi State Community College in the Hardin Valley area in west Knox County and Techmer PM in Clinton. It’s not clear which route between the two stops they might take.

Schools in Clinton and Anderson County announced this week that they will close early on Friday so buses can miss the traffic congestion and closed roads that are expected during the presidential visit.

On Wednesday, Dan Pfeiffer, an assistant to the president and senior adviser, said Obama will launch a new manufacturing innovation hub  during the visit, his first to the Knoxville area in his six years as president.

The manufacturing innovation hub will be  a private-sector partnership that will attract more well-paying middle-class jobs in high-tech manufacturing to Tennessee, Dan Pfeiffer said.

Obama is also expected to propose ways to help more young Americans go to college and get ahead.

Pfeiffer said the president is doing something he’s never done before: laying out some of his State of the Union message and policies ahead of his address to Congress on January 20.

Obama has been to Tennessee before, including in a Nashville stop in December.

Friday’s stop in East Tennessee is part of a week-long, cross-country tour to promote presidential policies on housing, economic development, and education. The president also plans trips to Detroit (Wayne, Michigan) and Phoenix this week before ending his week in Tennessee.