For a Friday — and without an interstate — traffic wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
Traffic was, for the most part, confined to the side streets after the I-85 fire and bridge collapse left the city without a major interstate artery.
Congestion remained near the collapse due to clean up and repairs.
About 7:30 p.m., interstate traffic was largely centered near I-285 heading into Cobb County where the Braves had their exhibition game SunTrust Park.
Cobb transportation officials did not plan any traffic changes ahead of the game, but the team urged fans to get to the stadium early.
Elsewhere, traffic was backed up for miles.
Channel 2 Action News reported that drivers on the Buford-Spring Connector were slowing down when they reached the bridge that collapsed to get a closer look at the damage.
The connector, which opened up about 2 p.m. , was only accessible from West Peachtree Road and Peachtree Street, the station said.
There was virtually no traffic south of the Downtown Connector.
Delays were also reported on Cheshire Bridge Road in northeast Atlanta near Lavista Road.
The collapse left Atlantans finding alternative work routes or transportation options, including riding MARTA, which saw a 25 percent surge in ridership, CEO Keith Parker said.
The start of spring break for many metro area school districts likely added to any congested areas already confounded by end-of-the-work-week traffic.
RELATED: Will the I-85 bridge collapse affect Braves traffic near SunTrust Park?
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Metro school districts, including Atlanta, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett public schools, are on spring break next week.
The new normal? At 1:45pm?
😳
— Brian Monahan, WSB (@BMonahanWSB)
Earlier, Atlanta Public Schools redirected routes due to the collapse.
Traffic was also backed up in Midtown with delays as far back as Lenox Road, according to the WSB 24-Hour Traffic Center.
RELATED: These Atlanta roads are closed 'indefinitely' after I-85 collapse
According to the Ga. 511 map, much of the traffic was north of the Downtown Connector and on the east side before the usual 4 p.m. gridlock hits.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
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