Brake Lights Stretch For Miles After Atlanta Bridge Collapse
FILE – In this Friday, March 31, 2017 file photo, construction crews work on a section of an overpass that collapsed from a large fire that started Thursday afternoon on Interstate 85 in Atlanta. Georgia officials say repairing damaged sections of I-85 north of downtown Atlanta will take months. Three people were arrested in connection … Continued
David Goldman / Associated Press
A slow parade of red brake lights illuminated the Atlanta highways Monday morning as motorists inched around the city in the wake of a bridge fire and collapse that shut down one of the main highways.
Atlanta’s mayor had warned motorists they’d face longer commutes Monday, as school buses, parents and workers returned to the roads after spring break.
Video from news helicopters showed traffic backups that stretched for miles during rush hour on Interstate 285, the bypass around Atlanta.
Streets near the site of the bridge collapse on Interstate 85 — which is shut down in both directions — were also clogged.
State officials say things could have been much worse.
“Even though in some sections of I-285 we had almost double the volume that we typically have, it was still flowing at about 40 miles per hour, which is excellent,” said Natalie Dale, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Jennifer Toxen said her commute from Bethlehem, Ga. to Atlanta went relatively smooth.
“A little hairy every now and then, stop and go, and then you would have your moments where you would reach speed limit, but I left the house at 7:30 this morning to arrive an hour ahead of schedule,” she said.
Patrick O’Leary, who works near the site of the collapse, said it only took four minutes to navigate the surface streets around it.
“There is Atlanta police at all the major intersections – Buford Highway, Lindbergh, LaVista,” he said.
Officials aim to rebuild the bridge by mid-June.
A homeless man accused of starting the fire under the bridge was indicted Friday on an arson charge.
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