We’re nearly two weeks removed from the shocking fire and collapse of a section of the I-85 overpass near Piedmont Road, and construction crews are working around the clock on the rebuilding process to re-open one of the city’s major traffic arteries.
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry originally announced a June 15th target for re-opening, a timeline much shorter than many feared after the collapse. On Wednesday at the site of the bridge, where U.S. Senator David Perdue was touring the scene, McMurry announced $3.1 million worth of incentives for C.W. Matthews, the company contracted to rebuild the bridge, if they could finish the project earlier than expected.
GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry and U.S. Sen. David Perdue survey the scene of the I-85 bridge collapse
Perdue had this to say on the situation, “I am grateful that no Georgians were injured during the I-85 bridge collapse. A special thank you goes out to our first responders for their swift action to protect everyone in the vicinity of the incident. After surveying the damage first hand on the ground, I am confident we will continue to work closely to coordinate our state and federal entities to get I-85 up and running again as soon as humanly possible.”
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is also doing his part to ease traffic in the wake of the incident, suspending all non-emergency road construction from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in a wide swath of the city stretching from downtown to the northern portion of the perimeter. Said the Mayor in a press release, “Temporarily suspending construction activities during reconstruction of Interstate 85 makes sense and is the right decision to help ease traffic congestion. While our partners at GDOT do the essential work of rebuilding the I-85 bridge, we are taking multiple measures to ensure people can make it to work or school on time, and can enjoy their time in our city.”
It’s not all rainbows and butterflies though, some neighborhoods have had ‘No Thru Traffic’ signs installed on now-busy surface streets as drivers attempt to find alternate routes to move around the city. City officials claim they want to keep traffic on major roads and off of residential streets in order to have better access for emergency personnel, but critics say it’s an abuse of power to try to keep drivers off of public roads because residents are upset with the increased traffic.
