Major I-285 closure expected to cause weekend traffic headaches for Atlanta drivers

Share Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Drivers traveling around metro Atlanta this weekend should prepare for major traffic disruptions as the Georgia Department of Transportation shuts down a section of Interstate 285 for construction work. The closure will affect both directions of I-285 between Paces Ferry Road and South Cobb Drive. Transportation crews will grind down existing concrete pavement to prepare for repairs and replacements as part of the I-285 Westside Rebuild Project. “We are rebuilding entire sections of a very, very old interstate,” said Natalie Dale with GDOT. “Anyone that travels this section of interstate understands the need for the rebuild, but that doesn’t mean we have to like the interruptions.” Drivers will be detoured away from I-285 to Interstate 75, the Downtown Connector and Interstate 20. GDOT is warning motorists to expect significant delays and plan alternate routes. The closure is already frustrating some drivers who say it will disrupt their weekend plans. “I’m annoyed, I’m frustrated, I had plans this weekend, but after hearing 285 is going to be closed, I’m staying in the house,” said driver Brittany Hipps. Jorge Velasco said the closure will complicate his travel plans. He needs to take two people to the airport and is also flying himself. “That for me is going to be a disaster,” Velasco said. “I have to actually take two people to the airport, and I am personally flying to the airport, and normally that’s the way I go.” GDOT is also encouraging tractor-trailer drivers to use the Downtown Connector as an alternate route to avoid the construction area. Officials emphasized that truck drivers using the designated detour will not be ticketed for doing so. “For this weekend, the official detour is through the Downtown Connector using I-20 in both directions and the Downtown Connector in both directions for that tractor-trailer community,” Dale said. The work is part of GDOT’s larger effort to rebuild aging sections of I-285 on Atlanta’s west side. Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.