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Is GDOT to blame for I-85 bridge burning?

The fire and collapse of an I-85 overpass has Atlantans asking a very pointed question: Who is to blame? JOHN SPINK /JSPINK@AJC.COM
The fire and collapse of an I-85 overpass has Atlantans asking a very pointed question: Who is to blame? JOHN SPINK /JSPINK@AJC.COM
By Craig Schneider, and
April 10, 2017

The fiasco that was the I-85 bridge collapse has Atlantans asking a pointed question: Who is to blame?

Police have charged a homeless man, Basil Eleby, with setting the fire, which spread to several tons of plastic piping that had been stored under the bridge by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Should GDOT share some of the responsibility? Some people are criticizing the agency for storing burnable materials in a place known to attract homeless people.

GDOT officials said the materials were secure and that it’s common practice around the country to store materials under highway bridges.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found those explanations lacking. Read the full story: Atlanta bridge collapse: Who is to blame?

About the Authors

Craig Schneider

Dan Klepal is editor of the local government team, supervising nine reporters covering county and municipal governments and metro Atlanta. Klepal came to the AJC in 2012, after a long career covering city halls in Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. He has covered Gwinnett and Cobb counties before spending three years on the investigative team.

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David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.

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