NEWPORT — Today’s visit by President George W. Bush adds more complexity to the security and safety plans for Tall Ships 2007.

As of yesterday, the president was expected to arrive on Air Force One this morning at Quonset Point Air National Guard and fly by helicopter to the Naval War College in Newport. However, severe weather could force a change of plans and put the president on the road instead, forcing rolling road closures to accommodate his motorcade along the highway and over the bridges.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced flight restrictions for a 30-nautical mile radius of the Providence area today from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., that includes approved aircraft for law enforcement, military, and emergency medical flights. The president is expected to fly out this afternoon.

But even without the president’s stopover today, the thousands of spectators coming to the Tall Ships event are presenting plenty of challenges for security — and opportunities for Rhode Island to use some new public safety assets.

The new interoperable radio system that’s slowly being adopted statewide will be used at the Tall Ships by all local, state and federal officials — the first time the system has been used for a major event, said Robert J. Warren, executive director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.

The system allows police, fire, and other officials to communicate with each other, instead of being blocked by competing radio frequencies. Motorola is loaning 50 radios for first-responders to use during the Tall Ships so that every agency and every top official involved with the event — from the Coast Guard to the governor — will be connected, said Narragansett Police Capt. Dean Hoxsie.

Coast Guard cutters, station boats and marine safety and security vessels will be patrolling the water, assisted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, said Coast Guard Lt. Chris Cederholm.

For the Coast Guard, the Tall Ships event is taking the place of the agency’s usual full-scale maritime exercise that it conducts yearly. The Coast Guard is testing its new radio and Web-based communications systems, as well as conducting patrols and keeping security on the Bay for the event and Parade of Sails, said Rich Uronis, senior chief of the Coast Guard’s Southeastern New England sector.

With traffic expected to be heavy for the next several days, the state police and National Guard are handling traffic control for the main routes, with state troopers posted around the clock at the toll plaza on the Newport Bridge. The state has allocated $100,000 to pay for additional public safety coverage in Newport, Middletown and Jamestown, said Sue Stenhouse, the governor’s deputy director of community relations.

The captains of each of the visiting Tall Ships submitted their own security plans for their vessels to the Coast Guard, and the ships will do their own screening of people coming aboard, said David Leonard, at the state EMA.

Even with all the security, the officials emphasized — the Tall Ships will have a “relaxed atmosphere.”

amilkovi@projo.com