Enjoy what should be lighter than normal traffic around metro Atlanta this weekend, because next weekend promises to be a real mess with the Final Four basketball tournament, the NCAA Division II and Division III basketball championships and the Braves all in town.
The state Department of Transportation is doing its part to help by limiting lane closures for construction these next three weekends.
Big events downtown this weekend include the Big South volleyball tournament, which continues through Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center. The Cobb Galleria Centre is also hosting some of the tournament matches.
Also downtown, the Hawks play Saturday night at Philips Arena.
The weather won’t be so great this weekend, with a chance of rain forecast throughout.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton reports that the chance of rain is 40 percent Saturday and increasing to 60 percent Sunday.
Temperatures should be in the mid-60s Saturday, then warming to around 70 on Sunday, Minton said. Lows will be in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Looking ahead to next week, in addition to the college basketball games at the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena and a Braves series with the Cubs at Turner Field, there will be a series of Final Four-related free concerts at Centennial Olympic Park and the NCAA Bracket Town fan festival at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Atlanta police are expecting crowds in excess of 100,000 per day to head downtown for those events.
“The Atlanta Police Department strongly urges people to take MARTA or one of the many hotel shuttles operating throughout the weekend,” police spokeswoman Elizabeth Espy said.
Espy said the department has canceled off days and officers will be working 12-hour shifts.
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