I drive on there, around there, and by there often. At least once or twice a day... that's going to suck for a while. Going to have find a new route(s) for a while. Traffic is shitty enough on there on a normal day, now it's going to be extra double shitty.
oops Happily my hour long commute doesn't take me inside the perimeter. But this will seriously fuck with the majority of ATL traffic for months.
I highlighted the area that collapsed in yellow, the red is the ramp I use a couple times a day. The highlighted (yellow) I'm on there once, sometimes twice a day.
Whoa! A guy at work who lives in Atlanta (and used to commute daily to Augusta) came today for a co-worker retirement lunch. Hopefully he made it back to his home in Atlanta safely! Also I am going there Sunday - my hotel (and my activities) will in midtown east of I-85 and a couple of miles north of I-20. I need to stay on top of this situation to plan my trip before Sunday.
1. Life is going to suck for anyone who commutes through that corridor. Probably for several weeks. 2. Even if officials pull out all the stops, it's going to be weeks before that's all repaired. 3. Woe unto the person who set/is responsible for this fire, if they are identified.
It won't just be I85 though, because traffic will be rerouted on the perimeter, I285 to I75. Ditto for I20. All interstates in and around Atlanta will be seriously gridlocked for commutes and people transiting the city for months. 220,000 vehicles traverse that section of I85 daily. They're all going to Ed's for beer.
I'm one of those who's life is going to suck. The 75/285 interchange has construction going on at it, the new Baseball Stadium, new overpasses, hotels, being built there.So add this, yeah.... traffic is going to be hell on earth. Those barrels are stored at the end of a rail yard. Looks like one or more of the barrels are on fire. Could be arson. Or a cigarette carelessly tossed, but arson seems more likely. [/quote]
That section can take 10-15 minutes to go from one exit to the next. For that area, yup 285, 75, 20, GA 400. GA 400 already is a bitch to get onto between 6AM to about 9AM from 285. Traffic crawls there, so now that 85 is shut down even more traffic will be routed on 400. Two weeks ago, 75/575 northbound was shutdown. It caused traffic to double on all side roads. My 45 minute commute became a 90 minute commute.
Awesome..... tomorrow I have to be right by where the bridge collapsed. Definitely need to find an alternate route. Shoot me now.
This is going to be a traffic nightmare all around Atlanta. That is going to cause a rise in accidents and people driving like idiots. Good luck to Atlanta people.
I just read a news bit and the governor encouraged people to take public transportation, or find different ways to get around. Nice in theory - it's A MAJOR INTERSTATE TRUCKING ROUTE! And nice idea about MARTA Anc - but here's the deal - most people take MARTA because they don't have vehicle transportation to begin with. Also MARTA doesn't get you to the outlying areas where most people who own cars live and work. So yeah, the average Atlanta driver might be slightly inconvenienced, but the larger portion of the quarter-million who use this route might take a major hit to their pocketbook or stress level. The fourth worst traffic in the US might be bumped up to #3 for a few months. Now factor in the people missing their airline flights as more people are on the I-285 perimeter (only way to the airport) who wouldn't normally be. Anywho I'm going to leave way, way early on Sunday to get to my Atlanta destination and leave way, way early Monday morning to get to work here in Augusta early enough to not eat too much personal time.
I saw they were storing barrels and coils under this area of the fire. Who the hell stores things like that under a highway?
Every state in the US stores construction materials under highways. You are correct it is probably not wise, but it happens.
Where in Florida have you seen the state storing things under a highway that wasn't under construction?
Yes, they store construction materials near areas of construction. Oh, and Pensacola where they actually have raised highways like you see in Atlanta. It is state property, and they use it. Sometimes it is even fenced in and secured for storage purposes.
Why not? Well, okay, we see why not in this story, but it's apparently a fluke. I'm sure I've seen construction equipment stored under overpasses around here. I'll pay attention on the way home tonight and see.
IDOT (Department of Transportation) uses the space under expressways for storage of their trucks and equipment. Not sure about construction supplies but it's possible.
Near. Not under. Though I'll give on Pensacola since that's one part of the state I've not been too yet.
