If you don't already know that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is Friday morning, where have you been?

Independence Day in Atlanta has included the morning race for 39 years, and with thousands of participants and spectators converging on the 6.2-mile course down Peachtree, there's always tight quarters.

The Atlanta Track Club estimates that perhaps as many as 200,000 people, including the 55,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers, will be in the area through the early afternoon, creating road detours and cramped MARTA train cars.

But if you haven't heard of the race, you might in for a rude awakening if you venture out on the streets from Buckhead to Midtown.

Don't sweat it, suggests Sgt. Rod Woody with the Atlanta Police Dept. Special Operations unit, which has around 200 officers assigned to re-direct traffic, control crowds and keep the course open. They also will issue tickets and impound illegally parked cars if needed.

Many streets near the course from Lenox Square to the Atlanta Civic Center will be closed through mid-afternoon. Some streets have been closed since Wednesday

"The best thing for people to do is just be calm and remember that this is just once a year," said Sgt. Woody, who has worked and run the Peachtree several times in the past. "Just be patient. We're going to try to make it as pleasant as possible, ... It's going to be slow, and we're going to do the best we can."

The following roads will be closed until around 3 p.m. today (the wheelchair race begins at 6:50), according Atlanta Police:

• Peachtree Road/Street: From Peachtree-Dunwoody Road to Peachtree Place.

• Lenox Road: From East Paces Ferry to Piedmont Avenue

• Piedmont: From East Paces Ferry to Lenox, and from Ralph McGill Boulevard to North Avenue.

• Fourteenth Street: From West Peachtree Street to Juniper Street.

• Tenth Street: From West Peachtree to Piedmont.

• Juniper/Courtland Street: From 11th Street to Pine Street, and from Ponce de Leon Avenue to North Avenue.

• North Avenue: From Juniper to Piedmont

The best bet to access the area, whether you're going to the Peachtree or not, is to take MARTA. Service begins at 5 a.m. and trains run every 10 minutes on all lines until 1 p.m., with Doraville and North Springs trains continuing to the airport. MARTA says some buses will be re-routed for the Peachtree.