Dry weather is forecast throughout the weekend, and that should be good news for music and sports fans, but bad news for anyone hoping that rain will postpone roadwork scheduled on numerous stretches of metro Atlanta interstates.
Here’s what you need to know to stay out of the traffic this weekend:
I-75 Express Lanes construction to cause delays on north side and south side
Crews working on the I-75 Express Lanes will be shutting down all southbound traffic on I-75 at Barrett Parkway nightly from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. Southbound traffic will be routed off the interstate at the Barrett Parkway exit and back onto the interstate at the Barrett Parkway entrance ramp.
In that same area, one lane of I-75 in each direction will be closed between Wade Green Road and Ga. 5 from 9 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday.
Just south of there, one southbound lane of I-75 will be closed at the Ga. 120 loop, along with the exit ramp to the North Marietta Parkway, from 9 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday.
The Express Lanes project will also shut down one southbound lane of I-575 near Bells Ferry Road from 9 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday.
Work on the South Metro Express Lanes will close up to two lanes of I-75 southbound from Jonesboro Road to Hudson Bridge Road from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday.
One lane of the Downtown Connector in each direction will be closed from University Avenue to 17th Street nightly.
Three lanes of I-285 in each direction between Memorial Drive and East Ponce de Leon Avenue will be closed nightly for lane striping.
On the west side Perimeter, two lanes of I-285 northbound from Cascade Road to I-20 will be closed throughout the weekend, and two southbound lanes will be closed approaching Bolton Road.
Other Perimeter work will shut down one lane in each direction at Flat Shoals Road from 9 p.m. Friday until noon Saturday, and one westbound lane from I-85 to Old National Highway all weekend.
Just south of downtown, two southbound lanes of I-85 will be closed all weekend from Cleveland Avenue to Riverdale Road.
Work on I-20 in Douglas County will shut down two eastbound lanes, as well as the on and off ramps, at Lee Road from 6 a.m. Saturday through 5 a.m. Monday.
Also on I-20, two westbound lanes will be closed nightly from Windsor Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and two eastbound lanes will be closed all weekend from Almon Road to U.S. 278.
» For updated traffic information, listen to AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
Weekend will be sunny and warm
Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton is forecasting mostly sunny skies through Sunday, with temperatures a few degrees above normal.
Highs will be around 87 Saturday and Sunday, with morning lows of 65 early Saturday and 67 on Sunday.
Atlanta’s normal high for mid-September is 82, the normal low 64.
» Check the full forecast and track changes
Sports and music take center stage
A lot of traffic is expected around Piedmont Park, where Music Midtown will be held Friday night and Saturday. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
On the gridiron, the University of Georgia plays South Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday in Athens, and Kennesaw State University plays Shorter at 1 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw.
Clark Atlanta University plays Fort Valley State at 2 p.m. Saturday at home, while Morehouse College plays at home against Johnson C. Smith at 7 p.m.
The Braves play the Phillies at Turner Field on Friday and Saturday nights and on Sunday afternoon.
Other weekend events include the Sandy Springs Festival Saturday and Sunday on Sandy Springs Circle, the Marietta StreetFest Saturday and Sunday at Glover Park, the Hapeville Happy Days Festival Friday and Saturday at the Jess Lucas Y-Teen Park, the Fair on the Square Saturday in Lawrenceville and the Taste of Smyrna Saturday on the Cobb County town’s Village Green.
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