Fresno officials expect downtown gridlock during Donald Trump visit

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The appearance Donald Trump on Friday is expected to draw a massive crowd of both supporters and protestors.

M Street between Inyo and Ventura Avenues will be closed Thursday evening to prepare for Trump's appearance, and it will remain closed through Friday afternoon.

Traffic during the morning commute will be backed up as people try to make their way to Selland Arena.

County workers like Amy Anderson plan to get to the office early.

"Normally we're scheduled, at least our office, to come in at 8:00 a.m.," she said. "We're all coming in at 7:00 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. Parking is going to be a mess. We know that.

City and county workers have been told how the Trump event may impact their commute. To avoid the gridlock, some workers will start their day much earlier than usual.

All of the parking areas downtown are expected to fill up quickly, and you might even alter your route into downtown off Highway 41.

"If they regularly get off on O Street during rush hour in the morning, they should probably plan to take Tulare or Van Ness," Mark Standriff with the city said.

Downtown businesses might not see many of their regulars on Friday with so many people hoping to avoid the crowds.

"It's going to be hard to get coffee and I'm worried about coming into work and having the streets too crowded," said Eleanor Moradian, who works in Downtown Fresno. "So, we're going to leave early."

"Yeah, we have friends who work later and they are definitely leaving about an hour to an hour of a half earlier from their homes," Shannon De Voe Ramsey said.

But business owners like David Goldberg and Hector Parra at Yogurt, etc. figure the large crowds will be good.

"Downtown parking's already an issue but we are expecting a lot of foot traffic so that might actually help when people are walking by," he said.

Some downtown employees don't even plan on leaving the building.

"We're doing a potluck so everyone's going to bring something in," Anderson said. "It's going to be crazy to try to get a bite to eat."