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TDOT checking Tennessee bridges after Atlanta collapse

In this aerial image made from a video provided by WSB-TV, a large fire that caused an overpass on Interstate 85 to collapse burns in Atlanta, Thursday, March 30, 2017. Witnesses say troopers were telling cars to turn around on the bridge because they were concerned about its integrity. Minutes later, the bridge collapsed. In this aerial image made from a video provided by WSB-TV, a large fire that caused an overpass on Interstate 85 to collapse burns in Atlanta, Thursday, March 30, 2017. Witnesses say troopers were telling cars to turn around on the bridge because they were concerned about its integrity. Minutes later, the bridge collapsed.

By Staff Report March 31, 2017 1 min read

Acting on reports of fire in a stack of stored PVC pipe before the Interstate 85 bridge collapse in Atlanta, Tennessee officials are checking their own bridges today.

“Our operations personnel have been put on notice to check the bridges in their areas to ensure that nothing is stored underneath them,” Jennifer Flynn, local spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said via email.

“We do not allow material to be stored under our bridges, but that does not mean that it doesn’t happen sometime,” she said. As an example, she said, construction materials may be stored temporarily under the Olgiati bridge, where a widening project is underway, but no permanent storage is permitted.

The I-85 bridge collapse in Atlanta came after a massive blaze broke out in what officials said was a pile of PVC stored under the structure. State officials are predicting a lengthy and costly project to repair the damage and reopen the interstate.