I know we're all consumed with Flynn, et al tonight......but, my GAWD, Atlanta!

[Glitterati]

A fire under Interstate I85 has collapsed a bridge ON I85. A whole section of the interstate is simply GONE. Pancaked collapse. A fire so hot it melted a major at least 4 lane (it may be 6 lanes here) highway!!!!!!!

In the middle of rush hour.

Thank heavens, the firefighters noticed the bridge going and got all the traffic that was stopped on the highway out of the way.

Evidently, some kind of PVC pipe was stored under the highway here and caught fire.

[dawg]

1. That's a major artery, too.

Traffic tomorrow is going to be insane.

[CurtEastPoint]

5. Tomorrow...and probably a couple of months after that.

[dawg]

7. You know it.

It'll be rough as long as that road is closed.

[CurtEastPoint]

19. As luck would have it, I retired yesterday and my commute would have been impacted even

though I exit downtown about 3 miles south of this site.

[mnhtnbb]

28. But the real question is will it affect how long it takes you to get to the airport next week?

[CurtEastPoint]

40. Piece of cake. Other direction. I live S of downtown, N of airport. Five mins to ATL.

[radical noodle]

2. Saw one report that said 5 lanes each way.

As if traffic isn't bad enough there already.

[mdbl]

3. this is one day I am glad i no longer live in Atlanta

I-85's a mess even when it's operational. I can't imagine the commute tomorrow.

[Glitterati]

10. Right now they are saying anything less than MONTHS is a fantasy

There's simply a gaping hole across all lanes of a major interstate highway.

I believe I85 goes from Maine to Florida through Atlanta.

[CurtEastPoint]

42. 85 begins in Petersburg, VA and ends in Montgomery, AL

[Glitterati]

44. Thanks, I wasn't sure how far north it went. n/t

[panader0]

4. What makes a concrete and steel bridge burn?

What happened?

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Concrete and steel are both very susceptible to high heat damage

All codes require the steel structure of buildings to be encased in fire proof coating.

For a clue as to how they can burn, think of the World Trade Center twin towers. (PLEASE, DUers, don't go there and hijack this thread.)

[panader0]

11. Did a gas truck blow up under the bridge?

It's tough to start concrete and steel on fire.

[Glitterati]

14. There was no explosion. Just a fire with thick black smoke

Thank goodness, the smoke had stopped traffic before the collapse. The smoke was so thick and heavy no one could drive through it.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. They don't burn in and of themselves. They react to fire around them.

Sorry if I implied that.

[panader0]

23. No sweat. I have worked with concrete quite a bit.

Never on a bridge or the like. It had to have been a huge fire to damage
that bridge.

[Stinky The Clown]

34. Yes, that's for sure!

[Glitterati]

8. No one really knows yet

Fire started with thick black smoke and got out of control fast.

It burned hot and fast.

They are still trying to put it out. It's still burning under the pancake and they can't get foam and water on that portion.

[CurtEastPoint]

13. Stuff was stored under the elevated highway: PVC and God knows what else.

[csziggy]

21. Reels of some kind of stuff

Google street view under that section of bridge shows stacks and stacks of plastic wiring

Image capture Nov 2016

I searched Google Maps for "Atlanta I-85 at Piedmont" and "drove" south on Piedmont under I-85 then "looked" to the east.

Here is the view:

[CurtEastPoint]

24. I cannot tell you how often I have gone up that ramp right there and seen that

and never gave it a thought. I think it's for cable/fiber, etc.

[Dem2]

36. Good detective work

thanks!

[Strelnikov_]

16. High temperature greatly reduces the yield strength of steel

Reduced strength results in collapse of structure.

[panader0]

17. Yeah, I understand that.

But what was the fuel of the fire?

[CurtEastPoint]

25. PVC

[tblue37]

31. Won't that cause seriously dangerous pollution in the air around

the fire?

[Warpy]

9. I've driven that sucker in rush hour

and drove through Alabama to avoid it on the return trip. Even under the best circumstances, it's awful.

What they said caught fire was a yard full of black plastic conduit, the stuff they use for underground electrical lines. There was a homeless camp in the area and it was windy, so maybe a campfire got out of hand. Or maybe somebody going down the highway tossed a butt out the window and it landed in exactly the wrong place.

It's amazing that no one was killed on the ground, firefighters were pretty close.

[Glitterati]

12. It's a parking lot there every day

This is right at the GA400 entrance ramp Northbound.

Just north of where I85 and I75 split in downtown.

[Warpy]

15. I know, I recognize it.

I can't imagine making that commute every day. It's almost as bad as the Long Island Distressway. Almost.

[beveeheart]

27. Is that near Roswell?

I lived there in the '80's.

[Glitterati]

38. No, it's right outside downtown, by GA Tech

right where 75/85 split. This "bridge" section that collapsed is the raised ramp to GA400. Fairly new - just a couple years old.

[gademocrat7]

20. This is going to be a nightmare for a long time.

Glad the trains are running.

[gibraltar72]

22. Anybody seen

Chris Christie?

[MyOwnPeace]

29. Good one!!!!

[babylonsister]

26. I was just happy to read a bunch of people didn't die.

They'll figure out the re-routing and rebuilding, but Atlanta is a tough city to approach because of traffic. This won't help.

[d_r]

33. yep, this.

[littlemissmartypants]

30. Very scary.

I wonder what would have happened if self driving cars had been involved? If there's not an algorithm for that, there should be.

Yikes.

[ecstatic]

41. Maybe an algorithm to never be in the front of a pack? I know the algorithm has automatic braking,

but I'm not sure it would detect fire or a missing road. It would stop if the cars in front of it did.

[littlemissmartypants]

45. Smoke detectors maybe?

[YOHABLO]

32. This I-85 corridor is a main artery going through ATL. It's going to be a mess forever.

Atlanta's traffic is already a mess. This is where I-85 joins I-75 which goes South to Florida and West to Alabama and beyond. So folks find another way to go South. 285 south is your best bet.

[Glitterati]

39. And Spring Break starts this weekend

Yeah, this is gonna be fun.

[Dem2]

35. There must have been thermite planted under that bridge!

[toska]

37. Same thing happened in Detroit a few years ago

In that case a tanker was in an accident under a bridge on I75. It burned so hot that the bridge melted and collapsed. Will take them some time to clear the debris. Hopefully the freeway doesn't need too much work.

[karynnj]

43. Newark NJ in 1989 as well on I78-- and then it was an illegal dump underneath nt

[NBachers]

48. Same thing happened in Oakland in 2007- "Tanker Truck Fire Collapses Bay Area Overpass"

Big nightmare, but the contractor who rebuilt it- C.C. Myers, and a nationwide team of contractors, engineers, and workers, had it back open in 26 days. That's the Can Do American Way!

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/A-MAZE-ING-His-reputation-on-the-line-2592154.php

[Glitterati]

46. Image

[link:|

[royable]

47. I wonder if this will lead to new federal regulations as to what can be stored

...under bridges on federal highways? That is, if we ever have federal regulations again...

[NBachers]

49. Is it what's stored there, or who's living there?