South Fulton residents using I-85 on weekends in recent months are accustomed to ever-increasing traffic delays as construction work continues. This weekend will be no exception, with expressway traffic anywhere near Ga. Highway 74 experiencing extreme delays.

The two-lane closures northbound and southbound between Ga. Highway 138 and Hwy. 74 will begin Friday at 9 p.m. and end at 5 a.m. Monday, said Georgia Dept. of Transportation spokesperson Karlene Barron. For those traveling southbound from Atlanta, the Hwy. 138 or Flat Shoals Road exits in Union City will provide access to Roosevelt Highway and on to Hwy. 74. Even worse delays might make exiting a bit further north at South Fulton Parkway more desirable.

The same conditions northbound make entering I-85 from Hwy. 74 inadvisable. Traveling up Roosevelt Highway toward Atlanta from Palmetto or Fairburn and accessing I-85 by way of Hwy. 138, Flat Shoals Road or South Fulton Parkway will avoid the guaranteed congestion.

Things get even more interesting next weekend, with tentative plans for the weekend of June 17-19 calling for the closure of entrance and exit ramps at Hwy. 74 on the southbound of the expressway.

Barron said the tentative completion of the entire project is expected sometime in September.