Earlier, we reported that a part of the northbound lane on the Interstate 85 collapsed in Atlanta. Luckily, there has been no reports of injuries but many ATLiens believe that the damage is still done.
According to NBC News, a fire broke out around 6 p.m. underneath the bridge, which is also described as one of America’s busiest roadways. There were no reports of fatalities but Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of “transportation emergency” for Atlanta and Fulton County areas.
The collapse will reportedly affect the entire southeast seeing how it serves as one of the main veins of land transportation between Virginia and Alabama.
The fire itself was declared under control about 8 p.m., but the collapsed bridge was the principal problem. All lanes of I-85 in the area are expected to be blocked indefinitely, the state Transportation Department said.
“I think it’s as serious a transportation crisis as we could have,” Mayor Kasim Reed said at a news conference late Thursday. He said that FBI agents were on the scene “to work out what happened” but that the agency had reported no suspected link to terrorism.
Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, also described the situation as a “crisis.”
At a news conference at 11 p.m. ET — almost five hours after the fire started — transportation crews still couldn’t gain access to the scene because of the heat still being generated by the flames, McMurry said.
A department spokeswoman said it was unlikely that inspections of the affected structures could even begin until Friday afternoon at the earliest.
As for now, authorities are asking companies to accommodate employees for road closure delays; public transportation is also strongly advised. All Dekalb County schools will also be closed tomorrow.
The traffic is reportedly the “fourth-worst traffic in America and the ninth worst in the world.” There has been no information released on the cause of the fire as of yet but officials speculate that the random ignition of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping used in construction underneath the bridge may be the culprit.
Many people took to social media to describe their frustrations as they sit stuck in traffic:
We will keep you updated on this story.
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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bridge-collapses-atlanta-freeway-fire-during-rush-hour-n740871
