Dekalb Police shut down all lanes of I-20 West on Monday after the road buckled. Image courtesy of WSB-TV/Twitter.
The City of Atlanta is literally falling apart.
All lanes of I-20 West were blocked around 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 17, after an underground gas leak caused part of the highway to buckle, according to DeKalb County Police.
Part of the freeway buckled on I-20 near Candler and Gresham roads, bringing traffic to a complete standstill. WSB Radio’s 24-hour Traffic Center reported that traffic was being diverted onto I-285. As an alternate, drivers can exit at Flat Shoals Road and use Cook Road to hop back onto I-20 using Gresham Road, according to the news station.
I-20 WB between Candler and Gresham shut down due to underground gas leak causing defect in roadway. Seek alternate routes. #DKPD
— DeKalb County Police Department (@DeKalbCountyPD) April 17, 2017
A man who witnessed the sudden buckling said he saw a motorcyclist crash when the freeway began to contort.
“[The motorcycle] just fell in,” Greg Phillips told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was like a dip.”
#BREAKING–Section of I-20WB has buckled nr Gresham Rd in Dekalb…DOT crews enroute. CH2 Action News also enroute.#wsbtv pic.twitter.com/pyCzHHAfdw
— WSB-TV News Desk (@WSBTVNewsdesk) April 17, 2017
BREAKING: pavement on I-20 at Flat Shoals Ross buckle outward. Police and fire on scene. Possible injures. pic.twitter.com/W4KEtofJ25
— Tom Regan (@tomreganWSB) April 17, 2017
The biker wasn’t hit by any cars when he went flying off his motorcycle, but suffered multiple fractures and a broken leg, paramedic Dennis Pierre Charles said. The man is expected to recover.
“The roadway just started getting higher and higher,” Charles told the AJC. “I’m not sure if something shifted underneath.”
The highway shut down comes just weeks after a large portion of I-85 near Piedmont Road collapsed due to a massive fire reportedly set by a homeless man.
*This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
