ATLANTA — President Donald Trump made a stop in Atlanta to announce new policy to expedite infrastructure projects.

The president touched down at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just past 3 p.m. Wednesday and left after a speech at the UPS Hapeville hub at the airport.

The president was in town to unveil a transportation plan that he called a “top to bottom overhaul” of the country’s infrastructure project approval process. 

Trump said the “biggest obstacle” to building transportation systems is “bureaucratic red tape” in Washington, D.C.

The president is targeting the National Environmental Policy Act — a Nixon-era law that mandates federal agencies study environmental impact of projects and take public comments before breaking ground. Under the new changes, Trump said, project timelines would be reduced from sometimes a decade to two years or less.

“This is a truly historic breakthrough which means better roads, bridges, tunnels, highways for every UPS driver and citizen across our land,” he said.

During his speech, Trump highlighted the expansion of Interstate 75 south that would build 77 new lane miles from McDonough to Macon for commercial vehicles as one project expedited through the new policies — once completed “saving drivers countless, hundreds of hours a year.”

Trump touted his Republican allies, including Gov. Brian Kemp, who he not long ago criticized for reopening Georgia “too soon” during the pandemic.

“I wish he wouldn’t call so much – but that’s the sign of a good governor,” the president said referring to Kemp. “I like the ones who don’t call, but their projects never happen.”

The environmental review process has stalled a project to deepen the Port of Savannah. Trump said under his administration the state saw movement on the project which, he said, is now “full speed ahead.”

“As many of you know this project faced 20 years of unnecessary delays,” he said.

The president did not stray much from his remarks on “rebuilding” U.S. infrastructure, but was quick to warn of the potential for “tremendous corruption” with mail-in ballots.

“The mail-in ballots, they’re going to be rigged,” he said. “They’re going to be a terrible situation. You have to be careful in Georgia and everywhere they’re doing it.”

During the president’s visit, Trump was accompanied by both U.S. Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler as well as her opponent, U.S. Senate hopeful Doug Collins.

Trump faces an increasingly hard fight to win the state over Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 

“Here in Georgia, we look forward to the job creation that will take place as a result of President Trump’s Administration slashing unnecessary regulations,” said Stewart Bragg, Georgia GOP executive director. “It is imperative that Georgians reelect the president this November. America needs a second term of the administration that never stops fighting for economic growth.”

Democrats dismissed Trump’s stop in Georgia as a campaign promotion and condemned him for not addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today, Donald Trump is back in our state, not to check in on our sick or vulnerable, but for yet another infrastructure week,” Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said. “We know that this is just another attempt to cover his broken promises, as our roads continue to crumble and the country braces for the heavy economic impact of COVID-19.”