ATLANTA (AP) - Crews continue to tear down and clear away debris after a section of a major interstate highway in Atlanta collapsed late last week after a raging fire.
Officials promised almost immediately after Thursday's inferno that a 350-foot stretch of the Interstate 85 bridge would be replaced. But that will likely take several months, and many commuters are bracing for a long commute to work and school Monday as the first full week opens without the key link to Atlanta's northern and northeast suburbs.
Even with some schools and businesses closed Friday, Atlanta's mass transit system was swamped and other highways slowed to a crawl.
Authorities say a man smoking crack started the blaze Thursday night, which burned construction materials stored beneath the interstate overpass north of downtown Atlanta.
