Traffic around the city of Atlanta could return to normal this week as construction crews have completed work on the collapsed I-85 bridge and reopened the highway.
According to a report from WSB-TV, the northbound lanes reopened Friday, May 12, and the southbound lanes reopened Saturday, May 13. Last week, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal promised the Interstate would be open by Monday morning’s rush hour. The reopening of the thoroughfare came just six weeks after an intense fire caused the collapse of the bridge.
While through-trucks are not allowed to take I-85 through downtown Atlanta where the collapse occurred, the number of vehicles that had to be rerouted onto I-285, I-20 and other highways and surface streets clogged traffic around the city during the repair process.
By completing the project as early as it did, construction company C.W. Matthews will collect $3.1 million in incentives. According to the WSB report, the company says it will share the incentive money with its workers.
The time-lapse video below from WSB shows the reconstruction of the bridge in less than a minute.
