Traffic could be downright hair-raising in downtown Atlanta on Saturday, and that's no bull.
Between the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show at the Georgia World Congress Center, the Professional Bull Riders circuit stop at the Georgia Dome, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Philips Arena and a big cheerleading competition at the Congress Center, as many as a quarter-million people will descend on downtown Saturday, Atlanta police spokesman John Chafee said.
While traffic will likely be the worst on Saturday, downtown will be congested throughout the weekend, as the Cheersport National Cheerleading & Dance Championship runs Friday through Sunday; the hair show runs Saturday through Tuesday; and the circus has two performances on Friday and three shows on Saturday and Sunday.
The Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough series begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
Chafee suggested using MARTA or carpooling to downtown events. He recommended that attendees coming south on I-75 exit at Northside Drive to access the Dome and Congress Center.
Anyone heading downtown on Saturday for those events will want to take an umbrella, because Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton is predicting a 100 percent chance of rain late in the day on Satuday and continuing Saturday night.
The rain should end by noon Sunday, Minton said.
That rain could hamper plans by road crews to close lanes of several metro Atlanta interstates repaving and other construction projects this weekend.
Potential trouble spots, weather permitting, include I-85 in both directions near Cleveland Avenue between downtown and the airport and I-85 in both directions between Beaver Ruin Road and Sugarloaf Parkway in Gwinnett County.
On the top-end Perimeter, a couple of lanes in each direction are scheduled to be closed between Roswell Road and Ga. 400.
Construction in Clayton County could block lanes on I-75 in both directions around Old Dixie Highway.
Also on the southside, lane closures are planned on I-285 westbound from Jonesboro Road to I-75.
In DeKalb County, the ramp from I-85 northbound to I-285 eastbound could be partially blocked for construction on Saturday.
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