I-85 closed indefinitely in Atlanta from fire/collapsed bridge

[steve58]

I used to live in the Atlanta area (up in Suwanee) and remember how bad the traffic was on I-85.  Good luck to anyone that is going to have to deal with the upcoming traffic nightmare...

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/31/us/atlanta-interstate-85-fire-collapse/index.html

[bbmike]

I used to live in Sharpsburg south of Atlanta. Traffic was already a nightmare where that happened.

[SirAndrewD]

Just recently left the Kennesaw area, and I'd lived there eight years. 

This is going to be an unmitigated disaster for the entire area.  The traffic on the north side is bad enough as is, I can't even imagine what this will do.  I'm glad I'm not out there anymore.

[Gusington]

At first, I-85 motorists drove through the smoke, and firefighters fought the flames below. It eventually grew into a massive fireball.

:o

Doesn't sound like there was good control of the situation as the fire grew. Thank the Maker that no one was hurt or killed.

[OJsDad]

Three people have been arrested for causing the fire

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/three-transients-arrested-in-atlanta-highway-bridge-collapse/ar-BBz8tVl?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

ATLANTA, March 31 (Reuters) - Three people described as transients were in custody Friday in connection with the fiery collapse of a major interstate highway bridge running through the heart of Atlanta, as officials said it would take months to repair the damage.

No one was hurt when the span gave way on Thursday evening as a fire raged beneath it, sending thick black smoke into the air and briefly igniting a fireball before the structure fell in on itself, snarling traffic.

Inspectors have determined that at least 700 feet (213 meters) of Interstate 85 must be replaced, including three sections of the northbound bridge and three on the southbound side, as well as their support columns, officials said.

"The repairs will take at least several months," State Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry told a news conference. "We are asking for the public's continued patience."

Three people were taken into custody in connection with the fire, said Glenn Allen, a spokesman for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commission.

One suspect, Basil Eleby, was charged with criminal damage to property; the others, Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas, were each charged with criminal trespass, he said.

All appeared to be transients, Allen said.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Friday directed federal officials to award $10 million to begin repairs.

Some 250,000 motorists use the highway each day to travel in and out of downtown Atlanta, state officials said.

As the fire raged on Thursday, the smoke was so thick that residents living nearby in the heart of Atlanta said they thought a storm was coming or that the sun had set early.

The flames burned so fiercely that concrete cracked and steel melted, even as dozens of firefighters battled the blaze, officials said.

The cause of the inferno remained unknown. McMurry said construction materials belonging to the state, including PVC pipes, were stored under the highway but would not have caught fire on their own.

"We are certainly as eager as anyone to find out (what caused it)," McMurry said.

Hours after the collapse, drivers were still struggling to get off the highway. Government offices in Atlanta opened an hour late to give people extra time to get to work. (Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by Andrew Hay and Lisa Shumaker)

[Gusington]

Transients = homeless?

[Sir Slash]

It's the ghost of Gen. Sherman come back to burn Atlanta again. Silly you say? Well remember, he blamed the first fire on transients. Yeah..... now it's dawning on you.   

[steve58]

Hopefully this will cause the Georgia DOT, and other state DOTs for that matter, to re-think storing combustible materials under roadways, bridges, etc...

[Staggerwing]

Hopefully this will cause the Georgia DOT, and other state DOTs for that matter, to re-think storing combustible materials under roadways, bridges, etc...

Yeah, but then they would have to pay for storing it somewhere else. 'Temporary' (almost 10 years?) storage under the overpasses is probably legal due to some allowed exception to some code that has become commonplace as a budget helper.

[bayonetbrant]

someone point out to Slaak that fire really can cause concrete / metal to buckle and collapse

[Toonces]

Someone commented on yahoo that they should get the army to throw some bridging over the damaged part.  I have to say, at first glance that idea seems to have merit.  Surely they have the capability to deal with a blown bridge.

???

8)

[bayonetbrant]

They don't have anything that'll span 300 yards and stand up to the level of usage they'll need through there. 

[mirth]

And it wouldn't change the fact that the highway is going to need be closed and repaired at some point.

[bbmike]

They don't have anything that'll span 300 yards and stand up to the level of usage they'll need through there.

And if they did they wouldn't tell us. 

[bayonetbrant]

one solution