Music takes center stage at several major events across metro Atlanta again this weekend, but there’s a good chance rain could put a damper on outdoor concerts as well as a full slate of construction planned for I-285, particularly on Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know to dodge the raindrops and roadwork.
Major roadwork scheduled for the west side: The Georgia Department of Transportation is urging motorists to avoid I-285 on the west side, where several projects will require lane closures in both directions.
The two southbound lanes of I-285 between South Cobb Drive and Bolton Road will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, while two northbound lanes will be shut down the same hours from South Cobb Drive to Paces Ferry Road.
South of those areas, two southbound lanes of the Perimeter will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday between Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Just north of there, two northbound lanes and one southbound lane of I-285 will be closed all weekend between Bolton Road and Hollowell Parkway.
Other weekend roadwork: On the top end of I-285, two westbound lanes will be closed throughout the weekend between Buford Highway and Chamblee Dunwoody Road for sign installation.
On I-20 in Rockdale and Newton counties, two westbound lanes will be closed all weekend from Salem Road to Ga. 138. The Salem Road exit ramp will also be shut down.
Two eastbound lanes of I-20 between U.S. 278 and Alcovy Road will also be closed throughout the weekend.
On I-75 just north of downtown, one northbound lane will be closed from Howell Mill Road to Moores Mill Road all weekend for drainage work.
Rain likely by Sunday: All that roadwork is weather permitting, and while there's only a 10 percent chance of scattered showers Friday and Saturday, Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton is predicting a 60 percent chance of rain for Sunday into Monday.
Highs will be around 77 Friday, 80 Saturday and 76 Sunday, with overnight lows in the mid-60s, Minton said.
Music galore again this weekend: For the second straight weekend, there's no shortage of concert choices for music fans.
In downtown Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park will host concerts Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights by hometown artists Outkast, while across the street, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform Friday and Saturday nights at Philips Arena.
Meanwhile, thousands of electronic dance music fans from around the world are flocking to the 500-acre Bouchaert Farm in south Fulton County for the TomorrowWorld festival, which began Thursday and continues through Sunday.
Sporting events this weekend include the usual full slate of Friday night high school football games, the Clark-Atlanta University – University of West Georgia football game at 2 p.m. Saturday on the CAU campus and the UGA-University of Tennessee football game at noon Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
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