Do you remember where you were on the evening of March 30, 2017?
If you were in a car on an Atlanta interstate, chances are you were stuck in a traffic jam to end all jams. That’s the night that a massive fire collapsed a bridge on Interstate 85 north of downtown, bringing more national attention to the most recognizable fact of life in Atlanta living — traffic.
After the 92-foot section collapsed, I-85 was closed to traffic for about 2 miles between its split with I-75 and the Georgia 400 interchange. Three sections of northbound I-85 and three sections of southbound I-85 were replaced in 43 days at a cost of $15 million.
An NTSB report determined that the Georgia Department of Transportation contributed to the incident by unsafely storing materials under the bridge.
The investigation concluded a 39-year-old homeless man, Basil Eleby, set fire to an upholstered chair, which then ignited high-density polyethylene pipes the Georgia Department of Transportation was storing under I-85 near Piedmont Road.
Arson charges against Eleby were dropped in exchange for him going through an 18-month diversion program.
