Pro basketball begins Friday in Atlanta and local zombies will be celebrated through the weekend.
But the weekend’s highlight might be an extra night-time hour added early Sunday morning or speed limit increases on a bottom-side stretch of the Perimeter.
The roll-back of Daylight Savings at 2 a.m. on Sunday adds to events Friday through Sunday evening. So, don’t forget to turn back your clocks one hour before going to bed (or going out) Saturday night.
Georgia Department of Transportation officials on Friday afternoon will increase the top speed on I-285 south of I-20 from 55 mph to 65, officials said.
The Atlanta Hawks tip off their home opener against the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Philips Arena.
So there could be extra volume on the Downtown Connector in the latter part of the Friday evening drive as eager hoops fans overdue for their favorite sport pour into the downtown area.
Morning rain will wane Friday afternoon, leaving cooler, dry skies through the weekend, forecasters say.
"That very thin line of heavy downpours is getting thinner," Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. "We're going to have some clearing skies."
Temperatures that began the day in the low 70s are expected to drop to the mid- to upper 60s through Tuesday, authorities said.
Ramblin' Wreck football homecoming tailgaters may begin flowing into Midtown early Saturday ahead of Georgia Tech's 7 p.m. matchup against Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Expect delays near Georgia Tech campus and the Varsity at the corner of North Avenue and Spring Street.
Metro Atlanta's undead set gets its due Friday through Sunday at Walker Stalker Con, where locally filmed "The Walking Dead" offers a convention for fans of the award-winning cable TV show at the Atlanta Convention Center and AmericasMart.
Boxing fans can get their fill on Sunday night when local undefeated middleweight Quantavious Cash leads a list of rising pugilists, including the light welterweight bout between Ellenwood's Bobby Hornsby and Richard Hall at Sunday Night Fights, 7 p.m. at The Mansion Elan Nightclub in Atlanta.
IrishFest Atlanta begins Friday and runs through Saturday in Sandy Springs at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel, celebrating Celtic heritage in the metro area.
Look for roadwork to close southbound I-75 Northside Drive and North Avenue each night as Georgia Department of Transportation crews install traffic symbols on the HOV lane and three left lanes. Expect lane closures … from 9 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m., Sunday and from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Here are other construction projects that could affect traffic over the weekend:
• Resurfacing will block the North State Route 120 Loop/North Marietta Parkway between Georgia Highway 41 and Wallace Rd., including the I-75 bridge from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. The north- and southbound I-75 ramps to the North 120 Loop (exit 265) also blocked will be blocked. Use the South 120 Loop or Georgia Highway 5 as alternates. Expect delays, and avoid the area, if possible.
• Work on the I-85/GA-400 interchange in Buckhead will create periodic lane closures on north- and southbound GA-400 north of I-85 and on Sidney Marcus Blvd. near GA-400 throughout the weekend.
• Bridge work on the southbound Buford-Spring Connector connecting Buckhead and Midtown near Monroe Dr., will block one lane overnights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
• Crews will be cleaning drains and doing other freeway projects in the overnight hours around town. Remember the “Move Over Law” and drive carefully around these work crews.
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