Free Republic

Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi facing multiple charges after forcing major highway closure near GreenvilleICE has issued detainer for suspect, whose origin and immigration status remain unclear Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer for a truck driver who was arrested after allegedly making a bomb threat while pulled over on I-85 in South Carolina this week, indicating he may be in the country illegally.The busy interstate was shut down for hours on Thursday afternoon after South Carolina State Transport Police pulled over an 18-wheeler with a missing license plate in Greenville County.During the stop, the driver reportedly claimed...

Gwinnett County is committing $5 million to help find ways to relieve traffic congestion on Interstate 85. County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with the Georgia Department of Transportation to conduct an I-85 Corridor Study Tuesday. The money that will be spent on work related to the study and will be spread across four years; state transportation officials have agreed to match the county’s contribution. That means Georgia and Gwinnett County officials will spend a total of $10 million over nearly half of the next decade studying and beginning to do some work on I-85. “We’re looking at potential...

Dive Brief: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded Jacobs Engineering Group a 10-year, multimillion dollar contract to design an active traffic management (ATM) system for Interstate 76 through Philadelphia, according to Traffic Technology Today. Jacobs' services for the Schuylkill Expressway will include preliminary and system engineering, design, analysis of alternatives, right-of-way acquisition and construction consultancy.The final ATM system could include occasional use of the shoulder, connected vehicle technology, variable speed limit signage and traffic jam detection and alerts. PennDOT could also implement features like ramp metering, junction control, dynamic lane assignments, and multimodal strategies in tandem with shoulder use....

It’s been at least two weeks since a massive fire caused a section of I-85 to collapse, throwing metro Atlanta traffic into gridlock and leaving many wondering who exactly was to blame. » The latest: Man charged with I-85 bridge fire pleads not guilty, to be released on bond Here’s what we know so far: Who’s at fault? Basil Eleby, 39, was charged with starting the fire. On Tuesday, April 18, Eleby pleaded not guilty to arson and criminal trespass charges and is expected to be released on a $10,000 signature bond. According to AJC’s Rhonda Cook, Fulton County Superior...

A man has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting a huge fire that brought down part of an elevated interstate highway in Atlanta, a collapse that is expected to complicate traffic for months in one of the nation's most congested cities. Basil Eleby and two other people -- all believed by investigators to be homeless -- have been arrested in connection with Thursday evening's fire under Interstate 85, Jay Florence, deputy insurance and safety fire commissioner, said Friday. Eleby has been charged with first-degree criminal damage to property, Florence said. The other two -- Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas...

A oil or chemical fire, perhaps in a rail car under the I85 bridge in downtown Atlanta between I75 ,400, and I85 caused a section of I85 to collapse 1 hour ago. Traffic is expected to stopped for weeks until the elevated highway section is replaced.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said it will take at least several months to repair Interstate 85, where an intense fire caused a section of the elevated northbound lanes to collapse during the Thursday evening rush hour.

Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Thursday night after fire officials extinguished a massive fire on I-85 in Atlanta that led to the collapse of a bridge on the crowded interstate. The bridge on I-85 northbound just south of Ga. 400 near Piedmont Road collapsed about 7 p.m., Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford confirmed. No injuries to motorists or first responders were reported. Officials said they still don't know how long it will take to fix the bridge, but they agree there is no underestimating the headache that awaits commuters. (snip) He said the cause of the...

Part of Interstate 85 collapsed north of downtown Atlanta Thursday night after a massive fire broke out under the busy highway during afternoon rush hour traffic. The fire broke out at around 6 p.m. Atlanta fire officials told Fox 5 the blaze caught giant spools of plastic utility conduits which were being stored under the overpass. No injuries to motorists or firefighters were reported. Georgia State Patrol Capt. Mark Perry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that terrorism is not suspected. Prior to the collapse, structural engineers told FOX 5 they were worried about fire melting the metal under the bridge. Witnesses...

Part of Interstate 85 collapsed north of downtown Atlanta Thursday night after a massive fire broke out under the busy highway during afternoon rush hour traffic. The fire broke out at around 6 p.m. Atlanta fire officials told Fox 5 the blaze caught giant spools of plastic utility conduits which were being stored under the overpass. No injuries to motorists or firefighters were reported. Georgia State Patrol Capt. Mark Perry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that terrorism is not suspected. Prior to the collapse, structural engineers told FOX 5 they were worried about fire melting the metal under the bridge. Witnesses...

All lanes on I-85 are blocked due to heavy black smoke from a massive fire, officials said.

AGENCY LOBBYING HARD FOR MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BOONDOGGLE South Carolina’s corrupt transportation “leaders” still desperately want to foist Interstate 73 on dirt poor Palmetto State taxpayers … even as government’s embarrassing inability to do basic maintenance continues to be on display all over the state.How desperate are our powerful “roads czars” to get this Interstate built? Let’s recap …First, they’ve spent more than $100 million on an interchange for the highway (even though it’s not clear if it will ever be built).Next they’ve proposed spending millions more on wetlands mitigation related to the road (again, even though it’s not clear if...

WSOCTV WBTV

Virginia will increase speed limits to 70 mph on 680 miles of interstates by the end of the year. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell announced the change Wednesday. It will affect interstates located in areas that are rural or less populated. It includes segments of Interstate 66, from Faquier County to Interstate 81 and Interstate 95 from south of Fredricksburg to Ashland and from Prince George County to the North Carolina border. The Virginia Department of Transportation outlined the plan at a meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board on Wednesday. State officials said in a statement that the change should help...

A Virginia highway official is recommending the state raise the speed limit on most interstates to 70 mph by year’s end. That would include nearly all of Interstate 81 in Virginia, except for major urban areas including the stretch between Christiansburg and Roanoke, and parts of I-64, I-66, I-85 and I-95. Connie Sorrell, chief of system operations at the Virginia Department of Transportation, said this afternoon that she will brief the Commonwealth Transportation Board on her recommendation Wednesday. Sorrell said she recommends the higher limit for “areas that we felt could be operated safety at 70 miles per hour.” Sorrell...

ANDERSON, S.C. -- A woman from Georgia died when she was hit by four vehicles on Interstate 85 on Thursday night as she tried to rescue her dog, authorities said. Investigators said that they believe Lou Ellena Hutgens, 68, was driving a convertible north on I-85 in Anderson County at about 10:45 p.m.

A group concerned about preserving the South’s textile past wants to establish an expansive National Heritage Corridor, which would run through the heart of the Triad. Called the Southern Textile Heritage Corridor, the area would stretch some 700 miles from Richmond, Va., to Montgomery, Ala., along Interstate 85. If successful, organizers say, the corridor would encourage the preservation of everything from textile memories to old mills; spur the development of historic sites, scenic byways and museums; and attract tourists to communities devastated by plant closings and job losses. “The beaches have their thing that attracts tourists; the mountains have the...

CONCORD, N.C. -- Concord police hope a surveillance video can help them arrest the two men who assaulted another man at a rest stop early Wednesday morning. Michael Honeycutt, 48, of Seattle, was beaten and robbed at a northbound rest stop on Interstate 85, investigators said. The attack happened around 2 a.m. Investigators believe Honeycutt was a random target [?]. They said his attackers, who were waiting near the rest stop's vending machines, hit him over the head with what appeared to be a baseball bat. "It appears he was taken by surprise," said Maj. Allen Overcash of the Concord...