Traffic delays expected across Middle Georgia Saturday as President Jimmy Carter’s funeral services begin
Drivers should anticipate road closures and plan alternate routes throughout the day.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Traffic delays are expected across Middle Georgia on Saturday as the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter begins.
Drivers should anticipate road closures and plan alternate routes throughout the day.
The motorcade carrying Carter’s remains departs Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus at 10:15 a.m. From there, it travels through Plains, pausing briefly at the late president’s boyhood home at 10:50 a.m. The National Park Service will salute Carter with a bell ringing 39 times before the motorcade continues its journey.
Portions of Highway 19 North, Interstate 75 North, I-475, and other key routes from Sumter County to Atlanta will be temporarily closed during the procession. According to 511 Georgia, drivers can expect delays during the morning and afternoon hours. Real-time updates are available at 511ga.org or by dialing 511.
In a social media post, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said the motorcade will pass through Butler, traveling along Highway 19 North and turning near the Taylor Courthouse before continuing to Reynolds. “Our 39th President, James Earl Carter Jr., lived a servant’s life,” the post stated. “May God bless his family as we keep them in our prayers.”
By 3 p.m., the motorcade is scheduled to arrive at the Georgia State Capitol, where Governor Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and other state leaders will lead a moment of silence. Carter’s remains will then be transported to the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where public visitation begins at 7 p.m.
For those wishing to honor President Carter, public viewing opportunities are available at the Carter Presidential Center from 7 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Tuesday, January 7.
According to jimmycartertribute,org, “the Carter family invites the public to honor and celebrate President Carter’s life by paying their respects during either of the public viewings; the funeral procession in Washington; in the downtown area of Plains; or along the motorcade routes in Georgia and Washington.”
