The Federal Highway Administration will provide $10 million to transportation officials tasked with rebuilding and repairing a portion of a bridge that collapsed March 30 on Interstate 85 in Atlanta.
Atlanta’s I-85 near Piedmont Road collapsed during rush hour due to intense heat from a fire. No injuries were reported. Guidance on detours is posted on the state’s Department of Transportation website.
The bridge, built in 1953, was reconstructed in 1985 to handle higher traffic volumes. According to DOT, the corridor accommodates an estimated 400,000 vehicles daily.
“The quick release of these funds will help to ensure the bridge is repaired safely and in a timely manner to prevent any further disruption to the hundreds of thousands of people who travel it on a daily basis,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said in an statement. “I also commend the first responders who saved countless lives by taking swift and appropriate action at the onset of this incident.”
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) said the repair process would take a long time: “This is due, in part, to the fact that bridge beams must be cast, poured, tested, transported and individually installed.”
According to a study by the American Transportation Research Institute, Atlanta is home to the nation’s worst truck bottleneck. The area known as “Spaghetti Junction,” where I-285 and I-85 north join, provides ramps to four secondary roadways.
Georgia Motor Trucking Association President Ed Crowell explained to Transport Topics the portion of roadway was not a major artery for truck traffic.
“There will certainly be some slowdowns and some problems as people get used to the re-routing,” Crowell said. “But it’s not going to be a logistics disaster. It’s not going to be any kind of freight transportation disaster.”
