Baseball, soap box derby could slam roads
The Atlanta Braves return home this weekend fresh off a sweep of the Miami Marlins, and traffic could be slammed, especially Friday night, when the team retires John Smoltz' jersey.
The ceremony begins at 7 p.m., and the Georgia DOT is warning of big delays on the Downtown Connector leading to Turner Field. The Braves-Toronto Blue Jays game begins at 7:35 p.m.
The Braves also play at 4:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:35 p.m. Sunday and heavy traffic is expected again on the Connector.
Another event that could draw a crowd Saturday is the Red Bull Soap Box Race at Piedmont Park, where 41 teams will compete in their homemade, human-powered vehicles. Pits open at 10 a.m. and races begin at noon on 10th Street.
As usual, road work on metro interstates could affect weekend motoring. The key projects include:
- I-285 westbound between Chamblee-Tucker Road and Buford Highway from 10 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday, and in the eastbound lanes from 11:30 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday.
- The northbound and southbound ramps from Ga. 400 to Lenox Road; one lane will be blocked all weekend.
- I-285 southbound south of Washington Road, in the two left lanes, from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Road work is dependent on the weather and that could pose a problem on Sunday. Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz is calling for clear skies Friday night and Saturday but "widespread rain" Sunday. Nitz said some areas could see over an inch of rain. Saturday will be a nice day, Nitz says, with partly cloudy skies and only a slight chance of an isolated shower.
"Temperatures will top out in the mid-80s Saturday but rain and clouds will hold our highs down into the upper 70s Sunday," he said. Nighttime lows Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be in the low to mid-60s.
