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Mt. Vernon Hwy. overpass at I-285 to be closed until summer 2024 at earliest: GDOT

By and FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  September 28, 2023 8:30pm EDT
Sandy Springs
FOX 5 Atlanta

Work continues on I-285 bridge after crash

Crews spent the night checking the structural integrity of the Interstate 285 and Mt. Vernon Hwy. bridge after a tractor trailer carrying heavy equipment hit the bridge Wednesday afternoon.

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - The Mount Vernon Highway overpass at Interstate 285 will remain closed for just short of a year after a tractor-trailer crash.

Officials with the Georgia Department of Transportation says a detour will be needed now until the summer of 2024

Mt. Vernon Highway overpass ‘critically damaged’

GDOT officials say the structure to the overpass was critically damaged when a tractor-trailer slammed into six beams of the Mt. Vernon Highway overpass.

It has been closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic since then.

Officials now say that will remain that way through the summer of 2024 when the new overpass, already under construction is expected to be finished.

The overpass is currently undergoing replacement as part of the I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension project.

GDOT officials are trying to work with the contractor to see if that timeline can be sped up, but for now, a detour is in place.

Detour around Mt. Vernon Hwy. overpass remains

A day after a tractor trailer hit the structure of the Mt. Vernon Highway overpass, a detour off Interstate 285 and around the bridge remains in place.

Detour set up after Mt. Vernon Highway overpass crash

The Sandy Springs Police Department says detours around the incident are being set up.

GDOT says the incident is not related to the construction in the area.

It advises using the Riverside Drive NW exit to Mt. Vernon Highway on south of I-285 and the Riverside Drive NW exit to Heards Ferry Road to Mt. Vernon Highway north of I-285.

The crash happened Wednesday afternoon as the tractor trailer was heading 

"The top of the excavator clipped the bridge, creating structural damage," said Sgt. Matt McGinnis with the Sandy Springs Police Department. 

Georgia Department of Transportation officials say it happened on the interstate around noon. Inspectors were immediately dispatched to check out the bridge while the interstate and the overhead structure were closed.

Workers spent the overnight hours continuing to evaluate the structural integrity of the bridge. All lanes of I-285 are now open, but the overpass itself remains completely shut down. 

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"It’s going to back up all the way through into DeKalb County," McGinnis said. 

Motorist Pamela Myers was stuck in the mess earlier.

"It’s been pretty bad," Myers said. "It was just back-to-back, bumper-to-bumper, ridiculous."

"They have to make sure that bridge structurally is safe for people to cross, so we’re asking people for patience," McGinnis said.

Protective forms will also be needed below the bridge.

FOX 5 has obtained an inspection report of the overpass performed by GDOT on Nov. 10, 2022. It shows numerous issues with the bridge as well as wear and tear. It rated the deck of the bridge as being in fair condition and the overall structure as being in good condition.

No one was injured in the crash.