Obama is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey Sunday to speak at Rutgers' 12:30 p.m. commencement ceremony, but traffic problems are expected to last all day.
PISCATAWAY -- Traffic in Central Jersey is going to be very heavy Sunday morning as Rutgers University combines the largest commencement ceremony in the school's history with a visit from President Barack Obama.
Obama is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey Sunday morning to speak at Rutgers' 12:30 p.m. commencement ceremony at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway.
More than 52,000 people, including 12,000 graduates, are expected to begin arriving as early as 8 a.m. for the ceremony. Though commencement will be over by 2 p.m., additional ceremonies and receptions on campus are expected to tie up traffic in Piscataway and New Brunswick until Sunday night.
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Among the expected problems:
Route 287: Exit 9 (River Road) will be closed from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday. Rutgers officials suggest vehicles, including those headed to the commencement ceremony, use Exit 8 instead.
Route 18: Avoid the highway in the vicinity of New Brunswick and Piscataway. It will serve as the major feeder road into the commencement ceremony and the other events on the Rutgers campus.
Sutphen Road: The road that passes through Rutgers' Busch campus in Piscataway was closed Saturday and will remain closed Sunday to all traffic except vehicles involved in setting up for the commencement ceremony.
Raritan River bridges: The John Lynch Bridge and the Landing Lane Bridge, which connect New Brunswick and Piscataway, will experience heavy traffic. Some graduates and guests will be walking over the Lynch Bridge, but Rutgers officials discouraged foot traffic on the smaller Landing Lane Bridge.
River Road: The road that runs along the Raritan River in Piscataway should be avoided throughout the day. In addition to the graduation ceremonies at Rutgers, Sunday is the final day of the popular Greek Festival at St. George Greek Orthodox Church a few blocks away on River Road in Piscataway. The festival crowds are expected to further complicate traffic problems in the area.
Local roads: Heavy traffic is expected on local roads on and near the Rutgers campus, especially College Avenue, George Street, Hoes Lane and Metlars Lane.
The map below shows real-time traffic problems in red. Click the "+" and "-" icons to zoom in and out.
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.