As Labor Day weekend officially arrives, there are plenty of traffic challenges awaiting metro Atlanta.
Events such as the Black Gay Pride Festival, Dragon Con and a double dose of college football will take place in the downtown area.
On Saturday, Alabama takes on Florida State in one of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games, and Georgia Tech faces Tennessee on Monday to complete that doubleheader. Both games are at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8 p.m.
Because of the Alabama-Florida State clash, ESPN “College GameDay” will be at International Plaza at 9 a.m. Saturday.
And speaking of football, the Georgia Bulldogs host Appalachian State in Athens on Saturday. The 6:15 p.m. kickoff means there’ll be plenty of traffic in the preceding hours.
MORE: How to spend your Labor Day weekend in Atlanta
MORE: How Turner Field turned into Georgia State's football stadium
The holiday exodus began Friday afternoon, so expect an early rush hour, especially on I-75 on both sides of town, the Downtown Connector, I-285, I-20 in DeKalb County and I-85 in Gwinnett County, WSB traffic reporter Doug Turnbull said.
“Expect big pushes late in the day Monday as people come back,” he said.
MARTA IS READY
The city’s rail transit system runs near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the Georgia World Congress Center/Philips Arena stop being recommended by stadium authorities.
Also, MARTA has several stops near downtown hotels and festival sites.
MARTA is increasing train frequency Saturday and beefing up security at its 38 rail stations during the weekend, the CEO said.
“We anticipate an influx of weekend riders due to a holiday weekend filled with parades, festivals and sporting events,” General Manager Keith Parker said in a statement. “MARTA is working to meet the projected ridership demand by providing increased service to help ensure an enjoyable and convenient commute for our patrons.”
During the weekend, MARTA’s northbound and southbound lines will run at roughly seven-minute intervals, and the eastbound and westbound lines will run in 12-minute intervals, Parker said. MARTA normally uses single-track service on weekends that typically increases the intervals to 20-25 minutes on each line.
You can check the MARTA website or mobile app for more details.
TIPS FOR DRIVERS
“The most obvious advice we could give for travelers,” WSB traffic broadcaster Ashley Frasca said, “especially to those who are just visiting, is to leave early and take advantage of MARTA.”
With the two NCAA football games this weekend at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, people will be figuring out new side streets and parking lots, Frasca said.
“So plan to arrive early,” she said. “That’ll give you time to hopefully get there before game time and take it all in. The stadium is amazing.”
Alternate routes to the stadium aren’t easy to find, she said. Northside Drive is the main artery.
“Another thing I’d recommend is planning your route ahead of time,” Frasca said. “That way you’re not trying to navigate from the driver’s seat.”
Regarding the Georgia game, “watch traffic especially on I-85 and (Ga.) 316 before and after the game,” Turnbull said.
DRAGON CON
The parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday on Peachtree Street between Linden Avenue and Andrew Young International Boulevard, then Peachtree Center Avenue between Andrew Young and Ellis Street, according to Turnbull. “Expect closures from early morning and through lunch,” he said.
His advice: “(Dragon Con) jams up side streets all weekend and parking is expensive. Take MARTA.”
USE TECHNOLOGY
The WAZE smartphone app is recommended by the Mercedes-Benz Stadium website as a way to navigate backups and find alternate routes.
You can also download the WSB Triple Team Traffic app to receive audio alerts about routes to take, travel time estimates, traffic flow and incidents in real time.
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