It was a light ride on I-85 during the first morning rush hour with all lanes open on the interstate, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
The traffic relief comes after I-85 burst into flames, collapsed and shut down on both sides near Piedmont Road on March 30.
But after an earlier-than-expected construction completion, the Georgia Department of Transportation reopened northbound lanes of I-85 about 7 p.m. Friday. Southbound lanes and those of the earlier closed Ga. 400 opened Saturday evening.
More drivers Monday morning were opting to use the Downtown Connector, the Traffic Center reported.
WSB Traffic reporter Mark Arum said I-75 in Cobb County and I-20 in DeKalb County could see increased traffic as drivers abandon I-285 as an alternate.
However, roads including I-85, Ga. 400 and I-285 could improve due to the I-85 opening. The Buford-Spring Connector, Piedmont Road and Cheshire Bridge Road may also see improvement, the Traffic Center reported.
“Now that 85 and 400 have reopened, we expect traffic patterns to get back to what they used to be,” Arum said.
Contractor C.W. Matthews worked around the clock since the collapse to rebuild the I-85 bridge — with a $3.1 million incentive for getting it done before June 15.
A homeless man, Basil Eleby, was charged with setting the blaze. On Friday, he asked the district attorney to drop the charges against him.
— Staff writer David Wickert contributed to this article.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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