Ga. 400 will be the epicenter of potential traffic troubles this weekend, as the demolition of a pedestrian bridge and a Sunday morning road race could lead to jams.
“We are expecting significant backups on Saturday and Sunday mornings on 400,” said Shun Pringle, district construction engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Work to demolish a pedestrian bridge over the highway will begin at 10 p.m. Friday, and will reduce southbound traffic to one lane from Wieuca Road to Peachtree Road, Pringle said. The work should be completed and all lanes reopened by noon Saturday.
At 5 a.m. Sunday, all northbound lanes of Ga. 400 will be shut down from Lenox Road to the Glenridge Connector for the “Ga. 400 Four Mile – Pay the Last Toll” road race. Pringle said detours would be in place, and all lanes will be reopened by 11 a.m.
“The good news for motorists in Atlanta this weekend is that the only other significant interstate lane closures will be in the overnight hours on I-75/I-85 northbound at Freedom Parkway,” Pringle said. “Contractors will be closing up to three lanes for bridge painting, but they are scheduled to be out of the roadway by 5 a.m. each day.”
The weekend forecast won’t be the best for road crews or runners, as rain is predicted both days.
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said there’s a 30 percent chance of rain Saturday, along with morning lows in the upper 40s and afternoon highs in the low 60s.
The rain chance increases to 60 percent Sunday, when highs will be in the upper 60s after morning lows in the upper 50s.
The National Weather Service said thunderstorms are likely across north Georgia Sunday afternoon and evening, with a slight risk of severe storms in the extreme northwest corner of the state.
Weekend events downtown include the Hawks-76ers basketball game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Philips Arena.
Saturday night, Philips hosts Elton John for an 8 p.m. concert.
Georgia State University plays the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in football at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
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