Portion of I-285 closed for weekend as traffic slows through Atlanta

One of metro Atlanta’s busiest stretches of interstate is closed for construction work once again this weekend, causing traffic congestion along and around the detour route.

All north and southbound lanes of I-285 are off limits between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive through 5 a.m. Monday, June 8, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The closure also includes one left lane of I-285 northbound between Washington Road and MLK Jr. Drive.

Motorists should brace for delays.

The detour diverts southbound drivers at Exit 10A to I-20, then to I-75/I-85 (Downtown Connector) and then to Langford Parkway. North and westbound traffic are heading the other direction at Exit 5.

Saturday morning, GDOT’s traffic map showed mostly green routes, indicating largely free-flowing traffic. But by early evening, traffic had slowed on portions of the Downtown Connector and I-20. The map showed Connector congestion was thickest north of Langford Parkway and around Atlantic Station and Midtown.

This weekend’s closure is the second of what could be up to 42 full closures as crews rebuild the interstate’s westside corridor, GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said.

Construction contracts allow for that number of closures in order to cut the project’s timeline from six years to three, Dale said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“There will be a break during World Cup festivities so this should be the last one for June and possibly July,” Dale said. “Frequency is determined by contractor readiness so there is no set schedule. We are committed to notifying the public at least one week before each full closure.”

The city hosts its first soccer game June 15.

The project’s first I-285 closure took place in the same area three weeks ago, sending traffic to the Downtown Connector and clogging some neighborhood streets in the West End and Cascade Heights.

GDOT advises motorists to once again plan for “significant” delays, heavy congestion and spillover traffic.