FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — All westbound lanes of Interstate 285 reopened Thursday morning after a major accident in Sandy Springs caused a traffic nightmare.
Sandy Springs city officials confirmed Wednesday that the lanes were shut down due to damage at the Mt. Vernon Bridge over I-285.
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GDOT said that a tractor-trailer hit the bridge at Riverside Drive. Channel 2′s Michael Doudna was live from Interstate 285 on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. on Wednesday as three westbound lanes were closed.
The highway became a parking lot after a truck carrying an excavator collided with the Mt Vernon highway overpass. Drivers said it caused a traffic nightmare.
“This commute has been horrible. I’ve been on the highway for an hour, over an hour from Buckhead, and it’s been stop-and-go, and everything is red,” said a driver.
A typical 20-minute commute turned into an hours-long commute.
“It’s frustrating because no one is going anywhere, it’s just people getting frustrated with everyone, but obviously, none of us can do anything about it,” said another driver.
Workers expect at least two lanes to be closed overnight and the Mt. Vernon highway bridge will also be closed until they finish inspecting it after an accident caused a headache.
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At 10 p.m. Wednesday, the Georgia Department of Transportation posted on Twitter that it anticipates two outside lanes of I-285 westbound will reopen at the Mt. Vernon Highway Bridge before Thursday morning rush hour.
However, there is no timeline for when Mt. Vernon will reopen due to major damage.
10 p.m. Sept 27 🗞️
— Georgia DOT ATL (@GDOTATL) September 28, 2023
GDOT still anticipates the 2 outside lanes of I-285 WB to reopen @ the Mt. Vernon Highway bridge before Thursday morning rush hour once protective forms are installed. There is no timeline for reopening Mt. Vernon due to major damage to bridge beams 🧵 pic.twitter.com/i7w8dgX2F6
📢 Be advised of the detour route below!
— 511 GA - A Service of Georgia DOT (@511Georgia) September 28, 2023
➡️ Check in with #511GA for updates. https://t.co/rOjTpLvElm
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