Rain restarts this weekend

Widespread rain is due in metro Atlanta over the weekend, forecasters say, but the wet weather may spare drivers from road work-related traffic jams.

Look for a 60 percent chance of rain and thundershowers on Saturday with a 30 percent possibility of precipitation from Sunday through Tuesday.

Temperatures will remain in the mid-80s through Tuesday, forecasters say.

While rain might dampen your outdoor plans, motorists driving around the metro area might appreciate the wet weather. All road work is weather permitting, Georgia Department of Transportation officials said.

Crews from DOT will be at work on several key metro thoroughfares, including the Downtown Connector.

Expect lane closures northbound on the Connector near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive overnight and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day, DOT spokesman Mark McKinnon said.

Just north of the city, look for both north- and southbound lanes on I-85 to have as many as three lanes closed as work continues on the Ga. 400 interchange, McKinnon said.

Work on eastbound I-20 between Panola Road and Wesley Chapel Road in DeKalb County will close two right lanes for bridge joint work, DOT officials said.

On I-285 between Roswell Road and Ga. 400, expect bridge work to close as many as three left westbound lanes all weekend, while drain cleaning could close various lanes all the way around the Perimeter, McKinnon said.