12/23/2023 0 Comments Atlanta highway underpassHe is charged with first-degree arson and criminal damage to property. Police arrested Basil Eleby on suspicion of setting the fire. Traffic is being diverted to already heavily traveled I-75, I-285 and surface streets. The closure is proving to be a major challenge for motorists in one of the country's most congested cities. In total, about 700 feet of northbound and southbound I-85 must be replaced, officials say. It eventually grew into a massive fireball the road was closed and firefighters withdrew as the structure weakened.Ī portion of northbound I-85 collapsed, injuring no one. The fire started Thursday evening under I-85 in northeast Atlanta, north of the highway's split with I-75.Īt first, I-85 motorists drove through the smoke, and firefighters fought the flames below. "Hopefully (there will) be lessons learned not only for Georgia, but the nation," he said of the coming review. McMurry said he already sent a letter to other states' department of transportation officials "to make sure they may want to make a full assessment" about what they are storing under their bridges and how they are doing it. "The gating and the fencing was really to keep the material from being stolen or removed from the area." "Obviously what we know now, if we knew then, we would not have the material stored in the fashion that it was stored," he said, responding to question about how secure the site was. The storage is not believed to have broken any current state policy, but McMurry said lessons could be learned - especially regarding whether the material was stored securely enough. The material was in a state-owned lot under the overpass, behind a chain-linked fence with a locked gate, with a "no trespassing" sign, McMurry said. Authorities say they've arrested a man accused of intentionally setting the fire. The state was storing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes and fiberglass conduits under the I-85 overpass, and the fire spread to the pipes, McMurry said. Also Tuesday, McMurry said the state will review its policies on storing materials under bridges and elevated highways - an issue in this case because authorities say Thursday's fire started where the state kept high-density plastic conduits and other construction materials.
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