Start your engines, metro Atlanta.
About 100,000 people are expected to head to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for a weekend of races in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. Practices were already underway Friday in Hampton.
If you’re planning to see race events, be warned of road construction and lane closures that may delay travel times.
The Northwest Corridor Express Lanes project will cause travel changes along the following sections:
One northbound lane on I-75 will close at the Canton Road Connector from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday.
Two northbound lanes and one southbound lane on I-75 will close between Delk Road and Windy Hill Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, from 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday and from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.
A traffic shift on I-285 will take place on the westbound collector-distributor lanes to Cobb Parkway from 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday.
A traffic pace will take place on the I-285 eastbound collector-distributor lanes from Cobb Parkway to the I-75 interchange from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
One northbound lane on I-575 will close between Ridgewalk Parkway and Sixes Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
A flagging operation will take place on Bells Ferry Road under I-75 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Under I-75, one lane in each direction of Frey Road will close from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday and from 11:30 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday.
The South Metro Express Lanes project will also lead to changes:
The Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures on I-75 northbound and southbound between Ga. 155 (exit 216) and Ga. 138 (exit 228) through 5 a.m. Monday.
One northbound lane on the Downtown Connector will close between North Avenue and Spring Street from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. The North Avenue exit ramp will also close due to contractor work. Message boards at the Pine Street exit will advise motorists to use the Pine Street exit as an alternate.
One northbound and two southbound lanes on I-75 will close between Delk Road and South Marietta Parkway from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday for sign structure work.
Two southbound lanes on I-75 will close between the North Marietta Parkway and South Marietta Parkway from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday for sign structure work.
Rolling closures on I-75 will take place on the northbound and southbound lanes between Ga. 138 (exit 228) and Cumberland Boulevard from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday to allow crews to install road pavement markers. Motorists should expect multiple lane closures at a time and slow down near the work zone.
Two lanes on I-285 will close on the westbound ramp to I-85 northbound from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for concrete rehabilitation. The I-85 exit ramp will remain open, but traffic will be detoured to the Pleasantdale Road exit and merge onto I-85 northbound. Law enforcement will direct traffic as needed on the Pleasantdale Road collector-distributor lane.
From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, two northbound lanes on I-285 will close between Hollowell Parkway and South Cobb Drive for concrete rehabilitation.
Two westbound lanes and one eastbound lane on I-285 will close between Glenwood Road and the I-20 interchange from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for sign structure work.
One eastbound lane and the shoulder on I-20 will close between Fulton Industrial Boulevard and the I-285 interchange from 9 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Two eastbound lanes on I-20 will close between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard from 10 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Two eastbound lanes on I-20 will close between H.E. Holmes and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge joint rehabilitation.
One lane will close on Piedmont Road at the intersection with Habersham Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
Weekend to see warmer temps, but cold to follow
After a mostly stormy and windy week, weather conditions mellow out some, with a warming trend and some colder temperature dips, according to Channel 2 Action News.
After a low of 34 degrees Saturday and 39 degrees Sunday, highs will reach 57 degrees Saturday and 64 degrees Sunday in metro Atlanta, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.
There is a 30 percent chance for light showers Monday, when a cold front will move into the metro area.
“Behind that system and ahead of our next stronger front on Tuesday,” Monahan said, “temperatures get close to 70 degrees ahead of that front.”
» Check the full forecast and track changes
NASCAR, Supercross, Katt Williams on weekend agenda
NASCAR has events planned through Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. There's the Heads Up Georgia 250 and the Great Clips 200 on Saturday and the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday.
In a different kind of racing event, the Monster Energy Supercross is expected to bring out 60,000 attendees from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
An estimated 18,000 attendees are expected to watch the Atlanta Hawks take on the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. Friday at Philips Arena.The matchup between the Hawks and Charlotte Hornets game is expected to draw a similar crowd at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Comedian Katt Williams’ Conspiracy Theory tour will make a stop in Atlanta from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Philips Arena.
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