I-85 Overpass Colapse in Atlanta

I hope no Follies girls were going thru there and got hurt - wouldn't want the roster to get negatively affected in any way.

The collapse is probably less that 1000 ft from Tattletales

This has been on TV here in Atlanta constanly since about 6pm. Anyone traviling on I-85 toward greenville will be out of luck for a while. I suspect both directions will be closed for the near future. The already congested I-285 perimeter will become even worse than normal.

Would this affect someone driving from near the airport to Follies (since Follies gets so many out-to-town visitors) - i.e. will they be diverted.

Maybe Trump can make our Highways great again.

Get our military to share some anti-grav tech with US made car manufacturers so that Americans can save on gas and fly over pot holes and collapsed bridges. Also add multiple levels of traffic to increase speeds safely. Plus add anti collision tech and self flying anti grav cars so we don't need pilot licenses. Get the prices down to compete with normal cars and that's a win win for all of us. Older cars will be able to drive on less congested highways. Everyone can save fuel with anti-grav tech. I imagine our military has had the tech for a long time. It would really help with the space industry too.

If it wasn't bad enough driving around Atlanta

This is a big deal. Folks without surface street knowledge are screwed for this evening. 285 will have to carry 250K additional cars

What the heck caused this? I can see no detail at all, just videos and stills

OH FUCK!

Papi_Chulo: Most likely yes. Now you'll have to detour through the already congested I-285 to get to Follies. This is a very big deal in Atlanta and it has been the top story for hours on all the local news and AJC website.

To answer desertscrub question, it's close enough to cause that inconvenience.

I read the collapse occurred when a huge booty ATL black girl got out of her car and started a mean twerk session whose vibration brought down the already brittle structure - hot damn

I-85 Northbound is completely closed after the I-75 "Downtown Connector" merge. I-85 Southbound is open up until GA 400. It is closed after that exit according to Fox 5 News.

S'cat seemed pretty alarmed. We need a Follies report, ASAP

Follies is taking charitable donations to repair the damage.

I had planned to go tomorrow and I am supposed to meet 2 TUSCLers from the Carolinas on Tuesday. I have an alternate route picked out to avoid I-285 but it may be congested by locals too. I'll be watching things all day before deciding if I want to venture out but this is not going to be quick fix.

Seriously wtf. I am flying in tonight and was planning on my first trip to Follies. If anyone knows the best alternative route message me otherwise I may be screwed. Thx

It looks like the best alt route per Google from downtown is take 78 east to 23 north

Upright - I agree just expect it to be slow going.

I still don't have a clear picture on how this happened. I read some PVC pipe caught on fire and the flames got high, hitting some power lines, and that's it.

I would assume the power lines got torched, and I guess the heat caused the supports holding the concrete up to buckle?

shailynn - From what I read a large quantity of plastic wiring was been stored underneath the overpass. They somehow ignited and the heat was so intense that it melted the steel reinforcements of the overpass.

What an incredible mess. Atlanta already has horrendous traffic. I love Atlanta clubs and have been trying to get down there but I may wait until this is over.

The steel didn't have to melt. When the temperature of the steel hits 1100 degrees F, it is down to 40% of it's normal yield strength. By the time it hits about 1400, it's down to only 10%. Both are well below the melting point.

Why the hell would the state of GA let flammable material be stored under an overpass. Coils of plastic conduit and other stuff that burns like hell once ignited. Worse than storing a gasoline tanker. Plastic burns hotter and longer! Stupid bureaucrats!

^^ No doubt someone in the Highway department is going to find themselves off the payroll because of this when the State and Federal investigations conclude, but that doesn't help deal with the financial devastation of having a major transportation artery closed as far as moving goods and services are concerned.

Oh well, maybe more cops dealing with rerouting traffic will mean less monitoring the VIP rooms in the short term

I was at Follies yesterday. It was all Latinas for the first couple hours of the afternoon, since they probably live in the neighborhood. By 4pm, all the usual thugs and dancers had arrived. All is well. I live north of the club, so it didn't affect my route to the club.

Lots of focus on Follies but Tattletails is right next to the collapsed section that fell on Piedmont Rd. They are totally screwed.

cnn.com Plot thickens, Three perps (possibly homeless) have been charged with lighting the fire/ criminal trespass.

I live 37 miles SW of Follies. I took I-285E and then I-75S at 11AM and did 75-80 all the way. At 4PM it took me 45 minutes to get to I-75S downtown on surface streets. Smooth going after that.

Small crowd at Follies. Both dancers and customers. Didn't do a VIP but there were enough good dancers to keep me occupied and happy for the 4 hours I was there.