Those who make their usual commute under the site of the I-85 bridge collapse in March likely noticed a new chain-link fence Friday where flammable materials once lived.

The $20,000 project is intended to prevent people from trespassing on the state’s property, potentially averting another massive interstate fire like the one that paralyzed the city for seven weeks.

“It should have been done that way from the beginning,” resident Keytorious Holliday told Channel 2 Action News reported. “We could’ve avoided all of that.”

The March 30 collapse left metro Atlantans without one of their main transportation arteries.

High-density polyethylene pipes, generally used in the transportation industry for cabling and fiber optic wire networks, went up in flames that day.

They had been stored there for as long as 11 years. Officials said storing materials under bridges isn't uncommon. 

Authorities arrested Basil Eleby less than 24 hours later and charged him with arson after two homeless people claimed he set a chair on fire.

Eleby, who is also homeless, has since pleaded not guilty to the accusations and his lawyers have said he's a scapegoat for larger issues.

In other news:

Woman Says Teen Neighbor Terrorized Her, Forced Her Out Home

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The Georgia Ports Authority built a 90-acre container storage yard, known as Garden City Terminal West, in 2023 and 2024 at a cost of $200 million. The facility can hold 20,000 container units. (Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority)

Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority

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Apartment complex community members look at the stuffed animals, snacks and drinks that rest at the base of a basketball goal with balloons in memoriam of Ja’Nylen Greggs in Atlanta on Friday, June 20, 2025. The apartment complex community is mourning 12-year-old Greggs after he was killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com