Basil Eleby is escorted by his public defender and two Fulton County Sheriff’s office officers into the court room at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Eleby, accused of starting a raging fire that collapsed a portion of Interstate 85 a few miles north of downtown Atlanta was charged with arson. The first-degree arson charge was added to a first-degree criminal damage to property charge Eleby already faced in connection with the fire Thursday evening that caused a heavily traveled overpass to disintegrate. Total bond was set at $200,000. (Henry P. Taylor/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
ATLANTA – Atlanta area commuters crowded aboard mass transit trains and fewer cars hit the road Monday as public schools went on spring break, easing fears of fierce gridlock after last week’s fiery collapse of a key interstate bridge.
Acknowledging the spike in train and bus riders, Georgia’s governor pledged state financial assistance for agencies providing more frequent transit service and said he’s seeking more federal aid for that same purpose.
Monday morning’s rush hour traffic in the Southeast’s largest city appeared lighter than usual as the first full workweek opened since Thursday’s inferno cut off downtown Atlanta’s key highway link to its northern suburbs.
But state officials warned that may not be the case when schools resume normal schedules. They urged private companies to allow employees to work from home and asked commuters to consider mass transit.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority reported a big rush hour jump in passengers on its northern rail lines Monday morning, up 50 to 73 percent as many commuters sought to avoid the highways altogether.