Labor Day Weekend Lane Closures
14th Street Reconstruction Project

• View Labor Day weekend lane closures press release
• View Labor Day weekend FAQ sheet.

Project Description

Georgia DOT will continue work on the 14th Street Bridge Improvement project during the Labor Day holiday weekend with multiple lane closures on I-85 and I-75 southbound resulting in significant traffic delays where the two interstates merge (The Brookwood Split). Lane closures will be in place from 9 p.m. on Friday, August 29th until 5 a.m. Tuesday, September 2nd.

During the three-day Labor Day weekend crews will tear out and rebuild sections of I-85 and I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector.

• I-85 southbound reduced to two lanes at the I-75 merge
• I-75 southbound reduced to one lane at the I-85 merge

All six lanes of the Downtown Connector will reopen south of 10th Street.

Project Purpose

The lane closures are part of an $88.5 million reconstruction project at 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta which began in spring 2007 and is expected to be completed in spring 2010. The Labor Day weekend work will improve safety, sight distance and shift travel lanes for a new 10th Street exit ramp. There will also be an open area between the Downtown Connector’s northbound and southbound lanes under the old 14th Street Bridge. This will allow crews to place equipment and materials to finish removing the east side of the bridge and then begin rebuilding the supports for a new, taller and longer replacement bridge.

Weekend Traffic

Georgia DOT anticipates 383,000 motorists (average holiday weekend total number of vehicles) and 150,000 event goers. An average non-holiday weekend averages 437,000 vehicles.

Downtown Events with more than 50,000 attendees

• University of Alabama vs. Clemson at Georgia Dome
  Saturday, August 30 (70,000 attendees)
  • Georgia Department of Transportation Encourages All Football Fans to Take MARTA to University of Alabama vs. Clemson University Football Kickoff Game, August 30th
  • Major Atlanta Traffic Delays Will Impact Clemson Football Fans Labor Day Weekend
  • Major Atlanta Traffic Delays Will Impact Crimson Tide Football Fans Labor Day Weekend
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities Marching Band Hall of Fame at Georgia Dome
  Monday, September 1 (60,000 attendees)

Those visitors staying in hotels in the Dunwoody/Perimeter area, Buckhead, Midtown and Downtown should use Atlanta’s transit system to travel to the Georgia Dome. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has stations convenient to those areas as well as a station immediately adjacent to the Georgia Dome.

Impact on Travel

• EXTREME CONGESTION is anticipated on both I-85 and I-75 southbound, north of and through Downtown Atlanta.
• Traffic backups on I-75 and I-85 nearing the Brookwood Split of up to two hours or more.
• Motorists traveling from South Carolina on I-85 are strongly urged to take I-285 east to I-20 west for access to the Georgia Dome and downtown hotels.
• Motorists traveling from Central Alabama and Birmingham on I-20 should remain on I-20 into Atlanta and follow message signs to Downtown and the Dome area.
• Motorists traveling from South Alabama and Montgomery on I-85 should follow message signs to Downtown and the Dome area. Additionally, drivers on I-85 should be prepared for construction delays related to a separate interstate widening project that starts at the Meriwether County line (milepost 41) and continues through the Fulton County line (milepost 61).
• Drivers traveling to areas outside Atlanta should use I-285.

Travel Information

Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about this or any other construction project on our state highway system. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, such as traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather. Callers also can transfer to operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.511ga.org.