GDOT closes I-285 south of I-20 for weekend work, 285 Shut Down
Georgia Department of Transportation will have 285 shut down south of I-20 from 7 p.m. Friday night until 5 a.m. Monday morning for construction in Fulton County. The closure runs from Cascade Road at Exit 7 to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at Exit 9.
GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said the agency aims to “balance impactful closures when possible,” while also handling a weekend calendar packed with large events across metro Atlanta. The detour sends northbound motorists to Langford Parkway, then to I-75/I-85 up to I-20 and back to I-285; southbound travelers will use the same route in reverse.
Natalie Dale on weekend closures
Dale said in an email that “It is a complex task to thread the needle through these unending events to be able to accomplish the amount of work needed to rebuild 18 miles of a major interstate.” GDOT also said the closure will have “significant impacts on travel throughout the metro area.”
The agency said crews need the interstate completely closed to create enough workspace for heavy equipment. Workers will mill and grind existing concrete pavement and prepare for slab repair and replacement as part of the I-285 westside reconstruction project.
Downtown Connector traffic
Freight vehicles will use the detour route and can use the Downtown Connector without penalty. GDOT said highway drivers will be the most heavily affected, and drivers on side streets in Atlanta and southwest Fulton County are likely to see spillover traffic.
The closure overlaps with several large events in metro Atlanta, including Savannah Bananas games at Truist Park, an Atlanta United match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia Tech’s ceremony for master’s graduates, Mercer University graduates at Gas South Arena in Duluth, and Emory commencement events in Duluth and near the campus.
For drivers heading through the south side of the perimeter this weekend, the route change is already set: avoid I-285 south of I-20 from Friday night through early Monday, or expect to join the detour traffic feeding the city roads around it.
