Hey, Atlanta, plan for busy roads and skies for Labor Day weekend
Labor Day weekend is upon us — as is the travel traffic on Georgia’s roads and at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Although projections are roughly on par with last year’s, passengers can still expect some road delays and airport congestion.
At the airport, more than 2.3 million passengers are projected to travel between Wednesday and Sept. 3.
Saturday is forecast to be the busiest, with nearly 325,000 passengers.
On the roads, the Georgia Department of Transportation is expecting the heaviest interstate traffic on Friday and Saturday of the holiday weekend.
Starting at noon Friday, GDOT plans to suspend all lane closures to help with traffic flow, but drivers are still likely to encounter 30- to 45-minute delays.
Lighter-than-usual road traffic is expected Sunday and Monday.
Aside from metro Atlanta, interstates around Macon and Savannah are expected to see the heaviest congestion.
To help with congestion, GDOT plans to reverse the direction of the Interstate 75 South express lanes on Saturday and Monday afternoons. Instead of operating northbound, as they usually do in the afternoon and evenings, the lanes will run southbound.
No changes are planned for the Northwest I-75 express lanes.
Nationally, the Transportation Security Administration projects 17.4 million travelers will pass through airport security from Thursday through Sept. 3.
Atlanta airport officials recommend travelers arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Security wait times are posted online at www.atl.com/times.
GDOT’s Highway Emergency Response Operator crews recently returned to 24/7 service and can assist drivers who encounter problems during the holiday weekend.
Travelers can request highway assistance by calling 511. Highway crews can assist drivers who run out of gas, have a flat tire or a dead battery, and crews will help clear roadways after crashes.
About the Authors
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Sara Gregory covers transportation for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Previously, she covered local government in DeKalb County. A Charlotte native, she joined the paper in 2023 after working at newspapers in South Carolina and Virginia.
