Roadwork on I-75/85 will likely cause big traffic jams through downtown Atlanta this weekend, and there’s little chance that the work will be delayed by rain.
Here’s what you’ll need to know to avoid the roadwork on the Downtown Connector and other metro interstates:
Connector likely to be jammed coming and going
Striping on the Downtown Connector will shut down three southbound lanes from the Brookwood Interchange to the Grady Curve, the Georgia Department of Transportation warned. The roadwork is set to begin at 9 p.m. Friday and continue through 5 a.m. Monday. The same work will close four northbound lanes from Pine Street/Peachtree Street to 10th/14th/17th Street from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday.
On I-285 in DeKalb County, three southbound lanes will be closed from U.S. 78 to Glenwood Road all weekend. One northbound lane of the Perimeter will be shut down from Glenwood Road to Northlake Parkway.
On the southwest quadrant of I-285, two northbound lanes will be closed between Camp Creek Parkway and Cascade Road throughout the weekend. North of there, two northbound lanes will also be closed from Bolton Road to South Atlanta Road.
Also on I-285, two southbound lanes will be closed all weekend from South Atlanta Road to Bolton Road and from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Camp Creek Parkway.
On I-20 just west of downtown, expect three eastbound lanes to be closed all weekend from Langhorn Street to McDaniel Street. Outside the Perimeter, two eastbound lanes of I-20 will be closed throughout the weekend from Six Flags Parkway to Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
Work in Spaghetti Junction will shut down various ramp lanes all weekend, but all ramps should have at least one lane open.
In Cobb County, work on the I-75 Express Lanes project will shut down one lane of I-75 northbound between Windy Hill and Delk roads from 9 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday.
Rain chance minimal
All of the scheduled roadwork is weather-permitting, and the weather is expected to cooperate.
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton is forecasting mostly sunny weekend skies, with only a 10 percent chance of rain each day.
Afternoon highs will be in the low to mid-90s, with morning lows in the mid-70s, Minton said.
Gifts, food trucks and basketball
The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market will continue to bring big crowds downtown throughout the weekend and until Tuesday. The show isn’t open to the public, but expect extra traffic in the area of the AmericasMart downtown.
Other weekend events include Saturday’s Atlanta Street Food Festival at Piedmont Park and Sunday afternoon’s Atlanta Dream-New York Liberty women’s professional basketball game at Philips Arena.
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