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U.S. transportation secretary to visit I-85 bridge Thursday

Cars backed up as the Georgia Department of Transportation reopened the northbound lanes of the rebuilt portion of I-85 in Atlanta on Friday evening, May 12, 2017. STEVE SCHAEFER/SPECIAL TO THE AJC
Cars backed up as the Georgia Department of Transportation reopened the northbound lanes of the rebuilt portion of I-85 in Atlanta on Friday evening, May 12, 2017. STEVE SCHAEFER/SPECIAL TO THE AJC
By
May 17, 2017

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will visit Atlanta Thursday as Georgia celebrates the reopening of I-85.

Chao with join Gov. Nathan Deal for a ceremony dedicating the rebuilt stretch of highway near Piedmont Road, which reopened last weekend just six weeks after a fire caused the bridge to collapse March 30.

Construction of the project is expected to cost up to $16.6 million, with the U.S. Department of Transportation picking up 90 percent of the cost. In addition, Georgia is asking the federal government to pay other associated costs, including extra transit service and traffic control needed during the highways' closure.

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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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