From the Georgia Department of Transportation:

Metro motorists likely know the drill all too well by now – avoid Interstate 20 (east side, downtown and west side) if at all possible this weekend.  The same goes for Interstate 285 on the northwest side.  And add Georgia 400 and State Route 9/Roswell Road in Sandy Springs and Roswell on Sunday morning.

Weather permitting, contractors for the Georgia Department of Transportation once again will be resurfacing and restriping long sections of I-20 and several sign structure projects and a concrete slab replacement effort will be occurring on I-285.  All of these jobs will require lane closures and have the potential to create significant traffic delays.

Georgia 400 southbound will be closed entirely between Holcomb Bridge and Northridge roads for a brief time early Sunday morning for a community bicycle ride with traffic detoured onto S.R. 9, which itself will accommodate the riders later that morning.

As is the norm during hot summer months, afternoon and evening thunderstorms are possible.  Such weather could temporarily halt work or cause it to be postponed completely.  Georgia DOT suggests calling 511 or consulting 511ga.org  before travelling to learn current work status and traffic conditions.  If all project activities take place as scheduled, motorists should strongly consider alternate routes to avoid delays in these construction zones:

  • On I-20 in Rockdale and Newton counties, two westbound (WB) outside (right) lanes on a three-mile section between Covington and Conyers will be closed continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday, for resurfacing. Also, the I-20 WB exit and entrance ramps to Almon Road will be closed completely all weekend.  Long delays are expected.
  • In Douglas County, two westbound (WB) I-20 lanes between Liberty and Post roads will be closed continuouslyfrom 8 p.m., Friday, until 6 a.m., Monday, also for resurfacing.  The outside shoulder will be reinforced so that vehicles will be able to use it as a travel lane and thus keep two lanes open at all times; but again, delays are possible.
  • Downtown, overnight restriping of I-20 will continue nightly with three inside (left) lanes eastbound (EB) between Capitol Avenue and Candler Road closed from 8 p.m., Friday, until 6 a.m., Saturday, and again during those same overnight hours Saturday and Sunday.
  • On I-285 in Cobb County, two southbound (SB – Outer Loop) outside (right) lanes between Paces Ferry and South Cobb Drive may be closed continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday, for concrete slab replacement and repair.  Work on various Top End sign structures north of this area will continue Saturday as well – closing the inside (left) lane of I-285 in each direction from 6 a.m., until 5:30 p.m., between Glenridge Drive and Chamblee Tucker Road.
  • In North Fulton, Georgia 400 southbound lanes between Holcomb Bridge and Northridge will be closed from approximately 7-7:30 a.m., Sunday, for the annual Hospitality Highway Century Bicycle Ride that attracts as many as 2,000 cyclists.  During that time period, southbound traffic will be diverted to State Route 9.  Riders will exit GA 400 at Northridge and return north via State Route 9 and Riverside Drive.

Other work and routine maintenance will necessitate lane closures on area interstates this weekend (as detailed in the attached spreadsheet).  The Department also cautions that incident and emergency repair related closures may be necessary on any route at any time.