Atlanta Streets Alive kicks off on Sunday

Sunshine galore amid major delays along I-75 in Cobb.

Get out and enjoy the sunshine.

There will be plenty of it this weekend.

Luckily, it’s the weekend bicyclists and pedestrians plan to take to city streets Sunday for the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s Atlanta Streets Alive event, the first of four planned this year.

But it’s also when a bridge construction project is planned at the I-75/I-285 interchange in Cobb County, and a 15-mile resurfacing project on I-20 continues.

Here’s everything you need to know about traffic, events and weather before you head out:

Expect traffic delays

Motorists can expect “significant delays” in Cobb throughout the weekend for bridge construction at the I-75/I-285 interchange, the Georgia Department of Transportation said. The construction is part of the Northwest Corridor express lane project.

“Avoid this area, if possible, as I-75 northbound and I-75 southbound will experience both daytime and nighttime lane closures” until 5 a.m. Monday, the GDOT said.

The GDOT also will continue resurfacing a 15-mile stretch of eastbound and westbound I-20 between Sweetwater Creek and Hill Street [between exits 44 and 56B].

All but one lane on westbound ramps will close between Lee Street and Fulton Industrial Boulevard through 5 a.m. Monday. And two eastbound lanes and the shoulder will close between Fulton Industrial Boulevard and the I-285 interchange until 7 p.m. Sunday.

The GDOT will also begin a resurfacing project Sunday on Marietta Highway that will extend from Cobb County to Atlanta Street in Roswell. The work — starting each night at 8 p.m. and lasting till 5 a.m. the next morning — will take approximately four weeks, weather permitting.

And creating more potential traffic delays, the first Atlanta Streets Alive event will be 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Historic West End. The event’s four-mile route will connect the neighborhoods of Westview, West End, Adair Park, Pittsburgh, Mechanicsville, Summerhill and Grant Park.

Rain tapers off; warmth ahead

Scattered rain that plagued metro Atlanta much of the week will taper off early this morning and make way for a warming trend.

Temperatures will start in the upper 40s but increase to the mid- to upper 60s today. Clouds will start to clear.

“You’re going to like Sunday,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said.

Temperatures will creep into the lower 70s and there will be sunshine galore.

“I foresee a lot of folks in their gardens planting those tomato plants or maybe some flowers,” Minton said. “It will be a good Sunday for it.”

And the pleasant conditions will continue Monday, with temperatures again in the 70s. The high is expected to reach 80 degrees Tuesday.

Celtics and biking

An estimated 17,000 are expected to watch the Hawks play the Celtics at 7 p.m. today at Philips Arena.

And beware of bicyclists or join them at Atlanta Streets Alive Sunday.

Participants are invited to dress up like zoo animals during the event’s kickoff, the Great Bicycle Parade at Zoo Atlanta.

Other activities include bike polo, a public art bike tour of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, a pop-up chalk festival, dancing for all ages, kids games and zones.