Atlanta motorists can’t catch a break: Another highway closed after I-20 buckles
The highway system in Atlanta, Georgia has taken another hit ‒ its second in less than four hours ‒ as Interstate 20 buckled due to a construction mishap on an underground gas line. One motorist is in critical condition.
Construction crews were pushing concrete to fill an abandoned gas line underground when pressure built up and cased the road to buckle, WAGA reported. All westbound lanes of I-20 were closed, DeKalb County police said.
NO GAS INVOLVED IN I-20 WB ROAD BUCKLE. Crews were pushing concrete to fill abandoned gas line. Pressure built up causing the road to burst pic.twitter.com/QOL6NoT29Y
— Natalie Fultz FOX 5 (@NatalieFFOX5) April 17, 2017
A motorcyclist who was going 55mph crashed when the road buckled, eyewitness Greg Phillips told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
JUST IN: Motorcyclist driving on I-20 as road buckled was flung into air and is in critical condition, police say https://t.co/kaAbgkT4o7pic.twitter.com/4E0fyXww5v
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) April 17, 2017
“[The motorcycle] just fell in,” Phillips said. “It was like a dip.”
BREAKING: pavement on I-20 at Flat Shoals Ross buckle outward. Police and fire on scene. Possible injures. pic.twitter.com/W4KEtofJ25
— Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) April 17, 2017
The biker is in critical condition with multiple fractures, likely including a broken leg, paramedic Dennis Pierre Charles said. The victim was thrown 10-15 feet into the roadway. As Charles sought to help the injured biker, the bump in the road kept growing.
I'm at ground level with I20 buckle just passed Flat Shoals exit westbound. #trafficsolutionspic.twitter.com/ygZBhT3Zpc
— Vince Sims (@SimsCBS46) April 17, 2017
“The roadway just started getting higher and higher,” he said. “I’m not sure if something shifted underneath.”
PHOTO GALLERY: I-20 buckles due to gas leak: https://t.co/QQXufymUEnpic.twitter.com/cVCudAtJ0P
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) April 17, 2017
The large crack occurred in the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane between the Flat Shoals Road exit and the Gresham Road overpass, WSB reported. The buckling is 2-3 feet high, witnesses said.
#ATLtraffic Traffic backup on WB I-20 stretches all the way east to Panola Rd https://t.co/kLmYI5Q8TMpic.twitter.com/T29qMEQ5sq
— CBS46 (@cbs46) April 17, 2017
“That’s a heck of a place in the road for this to happen,” Phillips said. “More work for the DOT.”
I-20 WB buckles near Gresham Rd. Witness: "looked like an earthquake...I've never seen anything like it." Complete live coverage on @wsbtvpic.twitter.com/Jb1gXdWScC
— Liz Artz (@LizArtzWSB) April 17, 2017
The buckling roadway occurred around 11:30am on Monday morning, about four hours after a different Atlanta highway ‒ Interstate 75/85 ‒ was shut down after a tractor-trailer carrying benzoyl chloride crashed into a passenger vehicle and overturned, spilling some 250 gallons of the toxic chemical.
Toxic traffic: Chemical spill brings #Atlanta highway to a standstill for over 5 hours (PHOTOS) https://t.co/mRU6IoXuLvpic.twitter.com/zt0oBIqFGs
— RT America (@RT_America) April 17, 2017
The Hazmat truck was not supposed to be driving inside the perimeter on the downtown connector, Atlanta police said. The driver of the car, Mitchell Epstein, was driving on a suspended license. The truck driver, Matthew Bowden, was given a citation for violating a Department of Transportation (DOT) restriction on the roadway.
UPDATE | Truck that spilled hazardous materials was NOT supposed to be driving inside the perimeter. https://t.co/zCBOYi9pwupic.twitter.com/3Y2Hnl4Vpb
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) April 17, 2017
Travel times in Atlanta were already at an all time high after a massive fire caused I-85 to collapse three weeks ago. The cause was determined to be arson.
A portion of I85 highway in Atlanta collapsed under the fire, police close off all lanes https://t.co/ga9RKeTmJOpic.twitter.com/id7d1KomK5
— RT America (@RT_America) March 30, 2017
Basil Eleby, 39, has been charged with first-degree arson for starting the fire, but his attorneys have blamed the Georgia DOT for storing construction materials under the bridge for years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry has denied the accusations.
Progress on Buford Connector. GDOT is holding a news conference at 3pm, we have so many questions. pic.twitter.com/iWg4WkJ96R
— Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) April 17, 2017
“It does not ignite,” he said. “It takes something to cause something like that to burn. It is a high-density plastic that is not combustible.”
To recap the last month:
— Ben Gunby (@gumby61184) April 17, 2017
I-85 bridge collapse
Road rage shooting on 78
Tomahawks spilled on 75
Chemical spill on connector
I-20 buckles