Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry speaks at May 1, 2017 media briefing. (photo/GDOT)
Interstate 85 in Atlanta is set to reopen just in time for the summer season. Georgia Department of Transportation Russell McMurry says he’s confident the road will be ready for use by May 25, three weeks ahead of schedule.
The interstate was shut down in the area of Piedmont Road after a massive fire in March caused a bridge to collapse.
“Our goal was to get I-85 back open to the people of Georgia as quickly as we could, and to do so we offered incentives for early completion,” McMurry said during a media briefing Monday in Atlanta. “If work is able to continue at the rate it’s been going, I have no doubt project contractor C.W. Matthews will be able to meet, if not beat, the May 25 incentive date.”
If the project is completed by May 25, C.W. Matthews will receive an additional $1.5 million. If completed by May 21, they will receive $2 million and an additional $200,000 for each day completed before May 21; up to a maximum of $3.1 million.
“From the ability to quickly procure the construction materials needed, to the availability of work crews and good weather conditions, we’ve been fortunate to be dealing with best case scenarios throughout this whole project,” said Marc Mastronardi, Georgia DOT director of construction. “The progress is apparent, but there’s still quite a bit of work that needs to be completed before the highway can be safely opened to the public.”
Comprehensive information regarding the I-85 bridge rebuild can be found at www.I85rebuild.org.
Three people are charged in connection with the fire.
Officials say repairs to the highway will cost up to $16.6 million.
