Atlanta’s I-85 to take several months to repair after collapse, fire

ATLANTA - The day after I-85 collapsed amid fire and triggered closures on both sides of the interstate in Atlanta, officials are planning long-term closures and the repairs are expected to take several months.

Though there were no injuries in the collapse just south of Ga. 400 on Thursday, it means a section of a busy interstate that roughly 243,000 vehicles traveled on daily is now out of service.

'This is a dynamic situation, and we're learning as much as we can as time unfolds,” Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry said during a news conference Friday at the fire site.

Officials suspect the blaze started when PVC products stored under I-85 caught fire.

Still, McMurry isn't attributing the fire to the surplus materials being stored there. He described them as non-combustible and said it's not uncommon for states to store materials under bridges, and that Georgia has done so with I-85 since about 2006.

That material doesn't ignite on its own, McMurry said.

'It's no different than having a plastic cup in your cupboard ... needs something to ignite it,” he said.

Gov. Nathan Deal said despite coordinated state and federal efforts, 'this will be a long process.”

Each bridge beam must be 'cast, poured, tested, transported and individually installed.”

Georgia won't be left with the repair bill itself.

The federal government will chip in $10 million for temporary repairs, U.S. Rep. John Lewis told Channel 2 Action News. The state and federal governments will split the cost of a permanent fix.