Atlanta prepares with World Cup less than 100 days away

Atlanta will host eight World Cup matches this summer starting June 15.

During the World Cup, Atlanta will implement a month-long traffic management plan. The plan, a partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation and MARTA, includes traffic signal management and officers directing drivers on the ground.

GDOT Deputy Commissioner Andrew Heath said the agency is staffing its transportation management center.

“We’ll be full of engineers, operations to execute on this playbook that we have specifically developed to handle ingress and egress,” he said. “Again, whether you’re driving, walking, biking, taking MARTA, we want to make sure that you can get where you need to go in a timely way and that you do it safely, and that’s our approach.”

MARTA will also operate more trains during the World Cup to keep wait times down. Interim CEO Jonathan Hunt said MARTA has also prepared a backup plan.

“We’re going to be staging well over two dozen buses throughout the region.” Hunt said. “In case there’s a rail event, we’re able to get folks out of the train station, on a bus and on their way very, very quickly.”

MARTA will also introduce limited run commemorative World Cup cards at station ticket machines. MARTA launched a similar commemorative coin during the 1996 Olympics.

The city of Atlanta launched Showcase Atlanta in 2024 to improve residents and business owners’ experience during major events. Katie Kirkpatrick is CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. She said even during the World Cup service workers and small businesses are as important as visitors to keep downtown Atlanta lively.

“If anything, we’re enhancing the experience for the employees, and we want that message to be received,” she said. “This should be an exciting time for employers in this region to engage with their employees and find ways to bring the World Cup into their daily lives.”

Centennial Olympic Park will host the official FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta downtown. The free event will include 40 screens showcasing matches, playgrounds and food vendors.

Atlanta is expecting 500,000 visitors to come to Georgia for the World Cup.

This article comes to Now Georgia in partnership with GPB News