Road, parking changes expected for Falcons game

The Atlanta Falcons will open the regular season on Sunday against their divisional rival New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome.

With construction of the New Atlanta Stadium taking place just a few feet south of the Dome, officials at the Georgia Dome is advising fans to anticipate numerous changes from previous seasons. Click here for a list of alternate routes to the Georgia Dome.

Many Falcons fans have not attended a game since the 2013 season and will want to familiarize themselves with the following changes:

• The New Atlanta Stadium construction project is taking place in the area that was the orange lot, purple lot, brown lot and silver lot, resulting in about 1,300 fewer parking spots around the Dome.
• The New Atlanta Stadium construction project also forced the closure of Georgia Dome Drive along with portions of Mitchell St. and MLK Jr. Dr. Click here to get alternate routes to lots around the Georgia Dome from all directions.
• The ticket office/will call windows have moved to the other side of the building and can now be found between gates B and C.
• GDOT has already begun the process of replacing the 91 year old Spring Street Bridge, resulting in the closure of Spring Street between MLK Dr. and Marietta St. with a full detour in place. This project will be ongoing until November of 2016. For more info please visit: www.dot.ga.gov/springstdetours
• As a part of the Spring Street Bridge Project, GDOT's detour includes two-waying a portion of Centennial Olympic Park Dr., however on Sunday COP Dr. between Marietta St. and MLK Dr. will be one-way traffic only.

Recommendations for fans to get to the Dome in the quickest and easiest manner:

• Many MARTA stations offer FREE parking and the train drops off just steps from the Dome. More information on riding MARTA to the Georgia Dome can be found here: http://gadome.com/guest/directions/Marta.aspx
• The Atlanta Falcons will give away 15,000 round-trip Breeze tickets to Falcons fans traveling through select MARTA stations on Sunday, representatives will hand out the free passes between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the H.E. Holmes, Indian Creek, College Park and Lindbergh MARTA stations. Additional route and schedule information is available by visiting www.itsmarta.com.
• Parking in all official Dome/GWCCA Lots are sold out. Please consider MARTA as an alternative to getting to the Georgia Dome.
• Plan to arrive early, parking lots will open at 8 a.m. Doors to the Dome will open at 11 a.m. and kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
• The NFL Clear Bag Policy will be in effect for this and all Falcons game this season. Complete info on the NFL bag policy can be found at: http://www.atlantafalcons.com/nfl-all-clear.html
• The Georgia Dome is asking fans to not park in unauthorized areas in the local neighborhoods or risk being ticketed and/or towed.