ATLANTA — It was six weeks in the making, and now Interstate 85 is finally back open.
The new overpass bridge is facing its first morning commute as drivers head back to work for the first time since the bridge reopened.
The northbound lanes of the interstate opened Friday and the southbound lanes opened Saturday afternoon.
Crews worked 24/7 since March 30 to rebuild the overpass bridge that collapsed after a massive fire that burned underneath brought it down.
Triple Team Traffic's Mark Arum says he expects drivers to see improvements on I-85, GA-400, the Buford-Spring Connector, Piedmont Road, Cheshire Bridge Road and I-285 now that the bridge has reopened.
The Downtown Connector, I-75 in Cobb County and I-20 in DeKalb County could be worse Monday morning, Arum says.
Georgia Department of Transportation crews started removing the barrels that held drivers back for so long around 6 p.m. Friday. Pacer cars led the first drivers onto the freshly opened northbound lanes of the interstate just after 7 p.m. It was the same process Saturday for the southbound lanes, which opened just before 6 p.m.
Despite Interstate 85 being back open, neighbors and business managers told Channel 2 Action News everything is not back to normal.
[TIMELINE: In just 6 weeks, I-85 reopens for traffic]
They said they’re hopeful that will change soon.
Max Kahn and Austin Moses both live near I-85 and Piedmont Road, where the fiery interstate bridge collapsed on March 30.
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“The traffic patterns got a little wild,” Moses said. “All the side streets and the ways you would get around are more crowded.”
From Moses’ apartment two-tenths of a mile from the bridge, driving anywhere was a headache.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s life,” Moses said.
Kahn takes MARTA to get to work in Chamblee. He also described the commute as frustrating, while the bridge was under construction.
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“Twenty minute walk to get there. No excuse for being late. I would have to call in, maybe once or twice a week. Just be like, hey, I’m going to be half an hour, hour late because of this,” Kahn told Klaus.
Now, with lanes of I-85 reopened over the weekend, the neighbors are looking forward to an easier lifestyle.
“I think it’s better and it’s going to get better,” Kahn said.
“Maybe a little more peace in Atlanta. Maybe that’s what it will be,” Moses said.
Several nearby businesses said their businesses lost money, but now they are beginning to get back to normal.