The implosion of a state building, a NASCAR race and the usual road construction are a few of the things that may mess with your weekend driving plans.
The state will implode the old Georgia archives building on Capitol Avenue in downtown Atlanta at 7 a.m. Sunday. That will mean temporary closure of some local roads and highways.
I-75/85 northbound and southbound will see rolling lane closures, and traffic will be brought to a complete stop before Exit 247. I-20 east will also see rolling lane closures and a complete stop before Exit 58A, while westbound I-20 will see lane closures and a complete stop before Exit 58A. When the area is safe, traffic will be permitted to continue.
Several local streets – including parts of Capitol Avenue, Memorial Drive and King Street – also will be closed temporarily.
Elsewhere, the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway will force state transportation officials to depart from their usual schedule for the new I-75 South Metro Express Lanes. Since they opened in late January, the lanes have carried traffic into Atlanta in the morning and out of town in the afternoon.
But with tens of thousands of people expected to attend the race, the reversible lanes will run southbound all day Saturday through early afternoon Sunday. They’ll open for northbound traffic later Sunday afternoon and remain northbound through Monday morning’s rush hour.
Signs will direct the flow of traffic in the express lanes. But you’ll need a Peach Pass to use them.
Finally, there’s the usual road work this weekend. And, as usual, Cobb County is the epicenter.
After more than a year of work and about $20 million, the I-75 overpass at Windy Hill Road is scheduled for its last round of closures this weekend.
Crews will close the bridge at 9 p.m. Friday to pave and stripe the new interchange and open the newly finished bridge by 5 a.m. Monday. Drivers will have access to ramps, allowing them to turn right onto Windy Hill Road. Detour information will be posted, but drivers are encouraged to avoid the area.
Construction on the Northwest Corridor express lanes will mean numerous lane and shoulder closures along I-75 and I-575. Work also continues on the new I-285 interchange at Ga. 400 and on the I-85 express lanes in Buford.
Staff writer Ben Brasch contributed to this report
