GDOT: I-85 overpass to reopen before busy Memorial Day weekend
ATLANTA - Transportation officials said on Monday that the Interstate 85 overpass will reopen before the busy Memorial Day weekend travel.
The Georgia Department of Transportation said on Monday they are still shooting for an opening on May 15, but said the emergency project will be done on May 26.
It has been a month since a raging fire under the Interstate 85 overpass led to a catastrophic collapse of north and southbound lanes over Piedmont Road. No one was injured.
Demolition began almost immediately with a tab just calculated at $1.6 million, according to Marc Mastronardi, the Director of Construction for the GDOT. He said the cost to rebuild and repave the 750 feet of interstate overpass is $11.9 million. Coupled with $3 million in incentives, he said the final cost will be approximately $16 million, which includes support from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
While it is hard to put a price tag on the toll this project has taken on commuters who have learned to sit through and maneuver around the closed section of interstate, GDOT officials promise the end is near.