A month and a half ago, Atlanta traffic got a little trickier after a bridge fire caused a portion of I-85 to collapse, closing the highway in both directions for miles.
Now, less than 2 months after the destruction, Nathan Deal, Governor of Georgia, states that the roadway will be reopened by the morning of May 15, or maybe even sooner, according to the DOT press conference.
This announcement puts the highway opening a full month before the originally scheduled date.
. @GADeptofTrans: NB 85 bridge could open as soon Saturday, SB as soon as Sunday weather permitting. But definitely by Monday AM @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/4owJRopkVi
— Aaron Diamant (@AaronDiamantWSB) May 10, 2017
The Georgia Department Of Transportation had offered a $3.1 Million incentive back in April for the companies contracted to complete the rebuilding of the interstate before June 15th and Deal says he is “pleasantly surprised” about the speed at which the project was completed.
Russell McMurry, Georgia DOT commissioner, said that both northbound and southbound bridges could be fully open by the end of the weekend, weather permitting.
Watch the full press conference here.
