I-85 Bridge Collapse: 5 Things To Know For Travel In Atlanta And Neighboring States

Emergency crews are working to repair Atlanta's Interstate 85 after a portion of a bridge collapsed Thursday night, closing 3 miles of highway critical to local travel but also crippling an important regional route serving major metropolitan areas in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.

Officials have said that the damage could require 400,000 vehicles to be rerouted daily.

Here are five things you should know going forward:

1. Repairs to the bridge could take months.

Officials are reporting that the extensive damage to I-85 will take months to repair. Given the normal traffic congestion in Atlanta, motorists will need to consider not only alternative routes but also what time of day, or night, to travel.

2. Alternative routes through the city will be heavily congested.

Motorists who would normally use I-85 can take I-75 to I-285 or the I-20 to I-285. But they should expect to hit a flood of traffic.

"Two-eighty-five is going to be slammed; 75 is going to be slammed, and it's going to be a lot of pressure on the system," said Atlanta Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mark McDonough. "Plan ahead; be patient."

let's check in on Atlanta Friday rush hour the day after I-85 collapsed. yikes. pic.twitter.com/9dWggX0RqW
— Ed Cormany (@ecormany) March 31, 2017

3. For Atlanta-area residents, Xpress Bus Service will continue on altered routes.

"Routes 411, 412, 413, 414, 416, will travel an alternate route along I-285 and I-20 to and from Atlanta," the bus service said. "Downtown and Midtown stops will be served but customers should expect delays."

It continued: "We will run additional coaches to the Hamilton Mill and Sugarloaf Mills Park-and-Rides directly from the Doraville MARTA station."

Additionally:

• Route 410 will pick up riders only at the Doraville MARTA station.
• Routes 400 and 401 will only pick up customers at the North Springs MARTA station.

Next week, April 3 to 7, the bus service will continue running with the modifications announced Friday.

But officials are encouraging that commuters use MARTA, rather than the bus system, when possible.

Find updated schedules for the impacted routes here.

4. MARTA will be providing additional services to support an expected increase in passengers

In anticipation of a customer influx, MARTA is increasing its rail service.

"Additional representatives are on hand to assist passengers as needed," MARTA officials said in an alert. "MARTA continues to work closely with our state and local partners to ensure that residents and visitors can safely reach their destinations."

5. Delayed repairs and upgrades are common throughout the country's infrastructure.

American infrastructure is in need of extensive repairs and upgrades. The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the country's vital infrastructure a D+ on the "2017 Infrastructure Report Card."

Politicians, including President Trump and President Obama, have long called for funding large-scale investment in the roads, bridges, power lines, water facilities and more. Many argue that without this kind of investment, we can expect more incidents like the I-85 bridge collapse and the catastrophic damage to the Oroville Dam in California. These incidents have a huge impact on individual lives and strain economic activity in the affected area.

Photo credit: Associated Press/David Goldman