I-285 will close in both directions in southwest Fulton County starting at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. The shutdown between Cascade Road (Exit 7) and SR 166/Langford Parkway (Exit 5) runs through 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

It marks the third straight weekend that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has fully closed the same stretch for the I-285 Westside Rebuild Project. Sandy Springs commuters who use the Perimeter as a bypass should plan extra travel time, because detour traffic will spill onto the Downtown Connector and I-20.

GDOT recommends drivers use Langford Parkway, the I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector and I-20 as alternate routes, according to a GDOT notice posted Sept. 28. The agency urged motorists to download the 511GA app for real-time traffic conditions.

Crews will mill and grind roadway concrete to repair or replace aging slabs. GDOT said all lanes must close to give workers enough room to operate heavy equipment safely.

More closures ahead

The contract covering this stretch is a $206 million effort to reconstruct concrete slabs from South Fulton Parkway in College Park to Collier Road. It is one of two contracts under the broader $370 million I-285 Westside Rebuild Project, which spans 17 miles of interstate and is scheduled for completion in 2029, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported in August.

More than 40 full weekend closures across different sections are expected over the next three years.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul warned residents about the rebuild program in a July 29 Facebook post, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported. "Avoid that area. This will be an ongoing issue for several months," Paul said at the time, referring to a different section near Paces Ferry Road.

The pattern is familiar. During the Sept. 18–21 closure of the same Cascade–Langford stretch, MARTA warned that bus and Mobility customers should expect delays and longer wait times from heavier traffic on surface streets. MARTA had not yet issued a specific alert for the Oct. 2–5 closure as of Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Fulton Neighbor reported that GDOT's published schedule lists additional full closures of the Cascade–Langford stretch on Oct. 23–26 and Oct. 30–Nov. 2. Other sections of the westside Perimeter are scheduled for closures through December.

Drivers can check GDOT's weekend lane-closure schedule, posted each Thursday at 4 p.m., or download the 511GA app for updates.