Trail of Tears ride to impact traffic throughout TN Valley on Saturday

TENNESSEE VALLEY (WAFF) - The Trail of Tears motorcycle ride will impact traffic in the Tennessee Valley on Saturday.

The ride will follow the same basic route as when it started in 1994. Riders will leave Chattanooga, TN to head to Bridgeport, AL on Friday. The ride will then leave Bridgeport at 8 a.m. Saturday and head to Huntsville on Highway 72 to I-565 for a lunch stop at Rocket Harley-Davidson before leaving for Waterloo.

The ride will exit I-565 onto Mooresville Road and then get on U.S. 72 and head west. Police will block access from I-65 at the U.S. 72 exit ramp. Motorists will not be able to exit at 351.

Athens police will shut down U.S. 72 east and west bound while motorcycle riders are going through the city limits. They will be at signaled intersections only to stop traffic.

Drivers can use U.S. 31 to get north and south in Athens. In the past, the event has taken anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to get through Athens, depending on the number of riders.

The ride will continue west through the Shoals onto Highway 20 and will arrive in Waterloo at 3 p.m.

Here's a closer look at the itinerary of the ride: