I-85 bridge collapse prompts Georgia Gov. Deal to declare state of emergency

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for Fulton County after a massive fire collapsed a bridge on Interstate 85.

State government agencies in Metro Atlanta will delay opening until 10 a.m. Friday and employees are urged to telecommute, if possible.

During rush hour Thursday, police halted traffic and turned cars away just minutes before the crumbling overpass crashed.

No one was hurt although dramatic images showed towering flames and plumes of smoke.

“The state is mobilizing all available resources to ensure public safety and minimize disruption of traffic as we continue emergency response efforts,” Deal said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is coordinating response efforts with the Department of Public Safety, Georgia Emergency Management and the Homeland Security Agency, Deal said.

“As this safety investigation and bridge assessment continues, we encourage the public to avoid the affected area, remain patient and allow first responders to perform their jobs,” Deal said.

He promised updates on alternative traffic routes and other information.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the fire burned for more than an hour under I-85 northbound near Piedmont Road, spewing large clouds of black smoke skyward.

The major artery that runs through the heart of Atlanta is closed indefinitely.

Traffic was bumper to bumper on nearby surface streets Thursday night as people scrambled to find alternate routes.

"This is about as serious a transportation crisis as we can imagine," Mayor Kasim Reed said.

All Rose Diggs told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she lives less than a mile from the fire site but couldn't get home because of blocked surface streets. She said she was told to walk despite being disabled, "but it's raining and dark."

The state's top transportation official said there's no way to tell when the highway, which carries 250,000 cars per day, can be safely reopened to traffic in either direction.

"We will have to continue to evaluate the situation and adjust as we do," Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said. "This incident — make no bones about it — will have a tremendous impact on travel."

The interstate is a major thoroughfare for traffic heading north and south through Atlanta. The bridge collapse effectively "puts a cork in the bottle," Georgia State Patrol Commissioner Mark McDonough said.

Capt. Mark Perry of the Georgia State Patrol told the Journal-Constitution that the agency doesn't know what started the fire beneath the bridge but that terrorism is not suspected.

Gov. Nathan Deal told reporters that some PVC plastic materials in a vehicle may have caught fire. "I do not know why they did or what the source of their transport was," Deal said.

Atlanta Fire Department spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said no cars were on the overpass when it fell.

"Our guys got here quickly and shut down the interstate and said, "No one else is driving over this bridge," he said.

Firefighters noticed chunks of concrete falling from the bridge and got out of the way just minutes before it collapsed, Stafford said.

Deal said inspectors were at the scene and they've contacted the original company that built the bridge to come in and assess the extent of the damage.

"We're trying to determine everything we can about how quickly can we repair it and get it back in service," Deal said. "I can assure you we will do everything to expedite the repair and replacement of that section of the bridge."

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 6:09 AM with the headline "I-85 bridge collapse prompts Georgia Gov. Deal to declare state of emergency."