Hole in I-20 bridge causes havoc

DOT engineers are monitoring I-20 in Cobb County after failing joints created a hole in a bridge Tuesday morning, causing a traffic logjam.

The hole developed early Tuesday in the eastbound left lane on the bridge over Six Flags Parkway, according to state Department of Transportation press secretary David Spear.

"It has been patched and we will monitor it throughout the day," Spear said. "Tonight, we will close that lane for a better patch."

The lane will be closed from 9 p.m. until no later than 5 a.m.

Spear recommended drivers be very cautious and avoid the left lane if possible, adding, "If it gets critically bad, we'll close it."‘

DOT engineers are on the scene.

About six vehicles hit the concrete debris as they crossed early Tuesday, Cobb County police said. One driver, Dorilus Moril of Austell, said he ran into something in the road about 4:40 a.m., ruining two new tires on his Pontiac Bonneville.

That bridge and another nearby are undergoing reconstruction lane by lane, Spear said. The problems stem from wear and tear, not last year's flooding.

Crews from LC Whitford Co. have completed permanent work on the right lane and then moved to the middle lane, Spear said.

"Then they'll move over to the left lane," he said. "You have to do it a lane at a time to sequence your lane closures."

The entire $5.1 million project should be finished by April, Spear said.

Authorities closed two lanes of I-20 eastbound while the scene was cleared and the lane temporarily patched.