If you are more likely to pedal to work than drive, weekend festivities promise to cater to you.
There is the weeklong Atlanta Cycling Festival, which starts Saturday; the Atlanta Moon Ride for night-owls Friday; and the second Atlanta Streets Alive festival this year.
The weekend of biking events kicks off early with the Moon Ride.
Costumed riders atop neon-lit bicycles will light up Piedmont Park for the fourth annual nighttime bike ride, starting at 11 p.m.
Eight food trucks, including Fry Guy, Jim and Nicks and ATL Burger, will be on hand. DJ Money Shot will set the musical scene for a launch party, also featuring David Bowie and Prince tributes by Electric Avenue at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
And finally, the bike ride itself will take participants through Old Fourth Ward, Virginia Highland and other popular Atlanta neighborhoods at night, shutting down more than two miles of Piedmont Avenue.
So be sure to check traffic before heading out Friday night, and again during the weekend.
I-20
A continuation from last week’s closures, drivers can expect more traffic on I-20 near Six Flags Over Georgia.
Two westbound lanes and the shoulder will close between Six Flags Parkway and Thornton Road. One westbound lane will close between the I-285 interchange and Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
One eastbound lane on I-20 will close between Fulton Industrial Boulevard and the I-285 interchange. Two eastbound lanes will close between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and the I-75/I-85 interchange.
All closures last through the entire weekend from 9 p.m. Friday and to 5 a.m. Monday.
On other busy interstates
One northbound lane on the Downtown Connector will close between Pine Street and Spring Street from 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Drivers will also have to worry about one northbound lane and two southbound on I-75 lanes closing between Windy Hill Road and I-285 from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
The usually hectic I-285 won't be as busy as the other interstates, but two southbound lanes will close between Atlanta Road and Washington Road 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday; 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday; and 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.
In addition to the reported ramp and bridgework along I-75 for Friday through Saturday, two southbound lanes will close between Delk Road and Windy Hill Road from 8 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Three southbound lanes on I-75 will close between South Marietta Parkway and Windy Hill Road from 10 p.m. Friday to midnight.
Two southbound lanes on I-75 will close between Alabama Road and Wade Green Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. Drivers will have to slow their speed between 5 and 10 MPH since crews are working across interstate lanes.
Crews will guide traffic on all I-75 lanes traveling east and west on Hickory Grove Road over I-75 from 10 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.
South Metro Express Lanes
Road closures along I-75 between Hudson Bridge Road and Jonesboro Road continue to be a thorn in drivers’ side this weekend.
Heading north, drivers want to avoid one northbound lane closure along I-75 between Jonesboro Road and Hudson Bridge Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
Jonesboro Road’s closures don’t end there. One northbound lane between Jonesboro Road and Hampton Road will be closed the entire weekend from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Drivers along the I-675 interchange should expect multiple southbound lane closures the entire weekend.
One southbound lane will close between the I-675 interchange and Lake Spivey Parkway continuously from 9 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.
One southbound lane between the I-675 interchange and Hudson Bridge Road will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. A second closure is scheduled from 9 p.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday.
Hampton Road and North McDonough commuters should prepare for rough evening drives.
One lane will close on the I-75 southbound off-ramp to Hampton Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. A westbound lane on Hampton Road will also close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday.
One southbound lane will close between Hampton Road and North McDonough Road from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
One eastbound lane on North McDonough Road will close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday. A northbound lane between Bill Gardner Parkway and McDonough Road will also close from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
Ga. 400
Ga. 400 traffic will mirror its weekday traffic. There’s no punchline for that.
One northbound lane will close between Peachtree Parkway and MacFarland Parkway from 9 p.m. Friday to noon Monday.
One northbound lane will close between Lenox Road and Holcomb Bridge Road from 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday.
Two northbound and two southbound lanes will close just before and after Encore Parkway from 9 p.m. Friday to midnight.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
Feeling hot, hot, hot
Metro Atlanta will be hot and humid this weekend, according to Channel 2 Action News.
It will see the kind of weather that brought repeat code orange smog alerts, putting those with allergies or other respiratory issues on warning this month.
There was even a code red alert, advising everyone in certain areas to avoid prolonged activities outside late in the day Thursday.
It’s unclear whether metro Atlanta faces a smog threat for the weekend. But temperatures will increase to the same levels they did when the alerts went into effect.
Temperatures are expected to increase to 92 degrees Saturday and 93 degrees Sunday, meteorologists said.
There will be plenty of sunshine and a slight chance of showers both days.
Rain chances were at 10 percent for Saturday and 20 percent for Sunday.
» Check the full forecast and track changes
Roll on
Come rain or shine, the Atlanta Cycling Festival will kick off Saturday and last through June 18.
The event, a weeklong festival dedicated to all things biking, attracted more than 3,000 cyclists in last year’s inaugural festival.
This year, it will be held in conjunction with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's Atlanta Streets Alive, which invites bicyclist to ride along a a 2.7 mile, Peachtree Street route from Midtown to Downtown, beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Atlanta Streets Alive, which also has events Oct. 23 and Sept. 25, will begin with the Great Atlanta Bicycle Parade, followed by more than 70 free cultural and physical activities for families.
Tips to bike
— Do drink lots of water and keep watch of smog alerts, because weather will be the hottest it's been all year over the next few days, meteorologists said.
— Do bring the kids along. There will be special events just for them. One of them, dubbed Kids Learn to Ride and Ride, will start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at 1520 Woodbine Ave. SE at Coan Park.
— Don’t be intimidated. The Atlanta Cycling Festival will have events for beginners, intermediate riders and advance cyclists.
— Don't let costs stop you. Atlanta Streets Alive is free and offers an open street route, tango, yoga, hula hooping, break dancing and more.
