The Georgia Department of Transportation has reopened the northbound lanes of I-85 in Atlanta.

The lanes opened about 7 p.m. Friday after workers finished the last preparations for opening those lanes. The southbound lanes are expected to open by Sunday.

The opening comes six weeks after I-85 burst into flames and collapsed near Piedmont Road. A homeless man, Basil Eleby, has been charged with setting the blaze. On Friday he asked the district attorney to drop the charges against him.

Since the March 30 collapse, I-85 has been closed in both directions from I-75 to Ga. 400. Contractor C.W. Matthews has worked around the clock since the collapse to rebuild the bridge – with a $3.1 million incentive for getting it done before the original June 15 completion date.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed lifted a ban on construction in the I-85 area.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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