ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Transportation says they will have Interstate 85 open to traffic by May 25, just in time for Memorial Day.
GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said he is confident the interstate will be set to reopen to traffic at that point and thanked the public for their patience.
"It's taken a group effort by all those to truly make a difference in these four and a half weeks since the collapse and while the rebuilding is going on," McMurry said.
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The work to rebuild the overpass bridge is moving faster than anyone expected, including the man in charge of rebuilding it.
Contractor C.W. Matthew's Adam Grist told Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant that his crews are set to pour concrete on the last two of six spans of I-85 damaged by the catastrophic fire and collapse on March 30.
"That's a huge milestone," Grist said.
The company tapped Grist to head up the emergency project just hours after the bridge came down, with work running 24/7 ever since.
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"Everybody's really stepped up, and it's a sense of pride for us to come out here. We're humbled that we were selected to do this and we really want to do a good job," Grist told Diamant.
Workers finished setting dozens of support columns and beams a week ago. Grist said intense planning, special quick-curing concrete and good weather have kept things moving fast.
"You guys feeling the pressure on this one?" Diamant asked Grist.
"We are, because everybody's watching," Grist told Diamant.
Monday afternoon McMurry announced the road will now re-open by May 25, a full three weeks sooner than the agency's last estimate.
"And we can easily assume that that's three to four times the production that is normally expected on a GDOT project," McMurry said.
C.W. Matthews stands to make as much as $3.1 million in incentives if the work gets done by May 15, a date Grist won't commit to just yet.
"We're a lot further along than we anticipated at this point, so that's a good thing," Grist said.
But one thing both Grist and McMurry did say with certainty is safety will not be sacrificed for speed.
"I can tell you this is probably the most inspected piece of bridgework we've had," McMurry said.
Once crews pour the last of the concrete, they'll start installing barricades and striping.
The best part is that none of the remaining work requires crews to close Piedmont Road again.
Cox Media Group
