Events bring traffic to standstill

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Motorists headed to weekend events in downtown Atlanta are battling traffic.

Traffic is backed up on southbound lanes of I-75 and I-85 north of the Downtown Connector. The DOT closed several lanes of I-85 and I-75 for repairs and is warning travelers to circumnavigate the city on I-285 or — if they must come into town — to take public transit.

Particularly slow is the area south of where Ga. 400 connects with I-85 and the section of I-75 north of the Brookwood Split. One southbound motorist on I-75 reported it taking 31 minutes to travel the couple of miles between Moore's Mill and Northside Drive.

Paul McCartney is expected to draw tens of thousands to Piedmont Park for his first outdoor Atlanta concert in 44 years. Also on Saturday, at the Georgia World Congress Center, some 50,000 hair stylists are expected to attend the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show.

Throw in a Braves game at Turner Field and a health care political rally at Centennial Olympic Park and you’d have a recipe for clogged arterials on any day.

The DOT is warning travelers to circumnavigate the city on I-285 or — if they must come into town — to take public transit.

“The Connector’s expected to be crowded,” DOT spokesman Paul Marshall said. “Our message is for the Paul McCartney fans to take MARTA. Avoid the Downtown Connector.”

Go figure that this Saturday happens to be the day MARTA will begin implementing deep service cuts “to address an extremely challenging financial period,” according to an announcement by the agency earlier this month.

MARTA says it is equipped to move the crowds Saturday.

“We’re aware of all the events,” MARTA spokesperson Cara Hodgson said. Asked twice whether the transit agency will increase the number of trains running on Saturday night, Hodgson said only, “We will have service in place to accommodate these events.”

Hodgson noted that the cutbacks only affect train service on weekdays. Bus service will be reduced on weekends, but Hodgson said none of the bus changes going into effect this Saturday will affect the big events.

Darrel McCook, spokesman for the Piedmont Park Conservancy, said past iterations of the Green Concert that McCartney will headline this year have drawn crowds that overwhelmingly took MARTA trains to and from the show.

“We’ve been pushing everyone to take the train to the Midtown or Arts Center,” he said, adding that the last train runs at 1 a.m. — an hour and a half after the concert is scheduled to end.