Italian prime minister snarls traffic in Macomb County

A motorcade for the prime minister of Italy will temporarily halt traffic on M-59 around noon and again this after noon.

According to the U.S. Secret Service, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will be arriving at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township and heading west on M-59 to the Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills. The disruption will occur around the lunch hour.

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said the plan calls for a rolling shutdown of traffic on westbound M-59 as the motorcade proceeds but it should pass through Macomb County in little more than 15 minutes. The Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police will handle the traffic control duties.

At about 4 p.m. the motorcade will block traffic on eastbound M-59 as it travels back to Selfridge.

According to Oakland Press online editor Stephen Frye, Renzi will tour the headquarters facility along I-75 and Featherstone Drive with Fiat SpA and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

After merging, the two car companies have come under a new title, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, developing a new branding strategy and setting official headquarters in London.

Earlier in the week, Renzi spoke at the United Nations General Assembly about economic relations between the U.S. and Italy.