Atlanta highway collapse causes fits for motorists
ATLANTA — Schools closed, businesses encouraged employees to work from home, and traffic was extensively rerouted Friday, a day after a section of Interstate 85, one of the main highways in the Atlanta area, collapsed from a fire.
No one was hurt when a section of the northbound lanes fell Thursday evening. On Friday, Department of Transportation bridge inspectors were at the location and said both the southbound and northbound stretches of I-85 that were damaged would need to be replaced.
It was not immediately clear when the work would be completed on the roadway, one of the most widely used in the Atlanta area.
“At this time, we do not have an anticipated duration for the repairs as we have not been able to fully access the site due to hot spots, but we do know that it is expected to be a time-consuming event,” said the head of the Transportation Department, Russell McMurry.
The highway section, about 60 yards long, fell after 6 p.m. Thursday during rush hour, in an area that passes through the Buckhead community, a residential, commercial and retail area several miles north of downtown Atlanta. John Eaves, the Fulton County chairman, said smoke and fire had billowed over the northbound lanes on Thursday night from burning tires underneath it.
Authorities have not said what caused the blaze. The area where the fire started is part of a state location used to store construction materials, equipment and supplies.
“We are as eager to learn the cause of this fire as anyone, which is why we will continue to work closely and in full cooperation with fire investigators to determine exactly how the fire was started,” McMurry said.
About 243,000 vehicles go through the corridor every day, Eaves said.
Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for Fulton County. He said the process of rebuilding would be lengthy because bridge beams must be cast, poured, tested, and individually installed.