A large fire under an Interstate 85 overpass in Atlanta caused a portion of the highway to collapse yesterday, rendering the route impassable. City officials are redirecting traffic to alternate routes as work is underway at the scene. Commuters are to expect significant delays as a result.

This route is a major thoroughfare used by our Destination Consultants and we anticipate the closure will greatly impact Dwellworks service delivery not only to transferees already in Atlanta, but also for those we have just started services with and those arriving this weekend.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has stated both I-85 northbound and I-85 southbound will need to be rebuilt where the fire and collapse occurred. “At this time, we do not have an anticipated duration for the repairs as we have not been able to fully access the site due to hot spots, but we do know that it is expected to be a time-consuming event," GDOT said on its Facebook page Friday.

Dwellworks would advise clients to avoid placing incoming transferees in corporate housing in Midtown Atlanta, and instead target the north side of Buckhead where an assortment of hotels and corporate apartments can be found. Other alternatives for housing are the areas of Perimeter Mall, Sandy Springs, and Dunwoody, off I-285. That route bypasses downtown Atlanta.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further feedback about how to best manage service delays as more information is made known.