Road closures begin for Sunday's Obama speech at Rutgers

Extreme traffic jams are expected when President Obama speaks at Rutgers commencement Sunday.

PISCATAWAY -- Rutgers University plans to close one of the major arteries on its Piscataway campus Saturday as the school prepares for a visit from President Barack Obama.

Obama is scheduled to speak at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony at Rutgers' High Point Solutions Stadium on the Busch Campus in Piscataway under heavy security. Approximately 52,000 people, including 12,000 graduates on the field, are expected to pack the stadium.

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Road closures begin Saturday when Sutphen Road on the Busch Campus will close to all traffic except vehicles associated with commencement setup.

Rutgers officials said the areas to avoid Sunday include:

Exit 9 (River Road) on Route 287: The exit will be closed from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday. Vehicles should use Exit 8 instead, Rutgers officials said.

Route 18: Avoid the highway in the vicinity of New Brunswick and Piscataway. It is the major feeder road into the Busch Campus.

Raritan River bridges: The John Lynch Bridge and the Landing Lane Bridge will experience heavy traffic. Some graduates and guests will be walking over the Lynch Bridge, though foot traffic on the smaller Landing Lane Bridge is discouraged.

Local roads: Heavy traffic is expected on local roads on and near the Rutgers campus, including College Avenue, George Street, River Road, Hoes Lane and Metlars Lane.

The final day of the popular Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church will be held at the same time as Sunday's commencement a few blocks away on River Road in Piscataway, further complicating traffic in the area.

Rutgers students and guests, who need tickets to attend the commencement ceremony, will be able to take shuttle buses from New Brunswick and Piscataway to get to the stadium.

Gates open at 8 a.m. for the 12:30 p.m. ceremony. The commencement is expected to conclude at 2 p.m. But, traffic will remain heavy in the area as convocations and other graduation ceremonies and receptions are held across Rutgers' Piscataway and New Brunswick campuses.