High school football takes center stage at the Georgia Dome and elsewhere across metro Atlanta this weekend, but those buses taking teams, cheerleaders and bands to the games at the Dome could find big traffic jams due to road work on the Downtown Connector.
Here’s what you’ll need to know to avoid singing the roadwork blues this weekend:
Connector, Perimeter will be hot spots
Four lanes of I-75/85 will be shut down in each direction between 17th Street and Fulton Street, beginning at 9 p.m. Friday and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday.
Additionally, part of the ramp from the Connector southbound to I-20 eastbound will be closed all weekend for bridge work.
On I-285, one northbound and one southbound lane will be closed between Covington Highway and Chamblee Tucker Road for striping.
On the southwest quadrant of I-285, two lanes in each direction will be closed between I-85 and South Atlanta Road throughout the weekend.
Also on I-285, one lane in each direction will be closed at Flat Shoals Road from 9 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Three westbound lanes of I-20 will be closed from Lee Street to Langhorn Street all weekend, while in the same area, two eastbound lanes will be closed between Langhorn and Windsor streets.
East of Atlanta on I-20, two westbound lanes will be closed all weekend from Alcovy Road to U.S. 278.
Sign structure work on I-75 in Cobb County will require the closure of two southbound lanes and one northbound lane at North Marietta Parkway from 8 p.m. Sunday through 5 a.m. Monday.
Also on I-75, work on the Express Lanes project will close a couple of lanes in each direction at Hickory Grove Road.
On I-85, three lanes in each direction will be closed nightly between Riverdale Road and Cleveland Avenue for striping.
One lane of Ga. 400 in each direction at Northridge Road will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday.
» Updated traffic reports throughout the weekend from the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center
Chance of weekend showers 30 to 40 percent
All of the planned road work is weather permitting, and Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said the chance of rain is 40 percent Saturday, diminishing slightly to 30 percent on Sunday.
Afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s both days, with morning lows in the low 70s, Minton said.
Football, music and festivals fill weekend calendar
The annual Corky Kell Classic high school football series kicks off Friday night at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, where Sandy Creek plays Creekview at 5:45 p.m., followed by Archer vs. North Paulding at 8:45, and continues with five games Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
Saturday’s Dome games begin at 9 a.m., when Carrollton plays Kell, followed by Brookwood vs. Mill Creek at 11:45 a.m., Norcross vs. Valdosta at 2:45 p.m., North Gwinnett vs. Colquitt County at 5:45 p.m. and McEachern vs. Tucker at 8:45 p.m.
Other events this weekend include the German Bierfest Saturday at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, the Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival Friday and Saturday at Adams Park in Kennesaw and the Festival of India Sunday at the Gwinnett Convention Center.
Concerts this weekend include Alabama Shakes Friday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, John Hiatt Friday night at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Lyle Lovett Friday night and Air Supply Saturday night at Chastain Park Amphitheatre, and Luke Bryan Friday and Saturday nights at Philips Arena.
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