5 PM: I-85 Closed in Coweta County

5 PM: Interstate 85 is shut down in both directions as authorities work to clear two tractor-trailers that collided and caught fire. The accident happened about 2 p.m. this afternoon in Coweta County south of Atlanta. Georgia State Patrol officials say two people were injured in the wreck, but their conditions are unknown. Part of a high school that sits next to the interstate was evacuated as a precaution. Coweta County Schools spokesman Dean Jackson said about 500 students at Northgate High School were moved to another building farther from the edge of campus. He said none of the students were injured.

(Associated Press)

DOT Holds Public Meetings On I-85 Toll Lane Plan

The Department of Transportation wants to know if people will pay for an easier route through traffic. To that end, transportation officials kick-off public meetings this week on a plan to convert carpool lanes on Interstate-85 in Gwinnett County to toll lanes.

The meetings begin Thursday at 5 p.m. at Gwinnett’s Civic Center. In all, there will be five meetings total held along the I-85 corridor. Hearings will follow in Dacula, Chamblee, Norcross and Lawrenceville.

I-75, I-85 reopened through downtown Atlanta

The southbound lanes of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through downtown Atlanta were reopened Sunday morning after a car accident loosened a sign that hangs over the thoroughfare.

Atlanta Police Officer Ronald Campbell said the busy downtown connector was reopened around 8:30 a.m., nearly 12 hours after the accident.

A woman hit the beam with her vehicle, he said. She sustained head trauma and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, he said.

The state Department of Transportation was called in and determined that the accident had caused damage to the support beams and crews needed to remove the sign, Campbell said.

(Associated Press)

Speeder crackdown on Georgia interstates

Speeders along Interstate-85 beware: Georgia and South Carolina are joining forces to target speeders along the I-85 corridor. The "two-state speed crackdown" begins at noon June 29th running through the weekend before the July 4th holiday. It's all part of Georgia's plans to boost summertime traffic enforcement. Law enforcement officials say this crackdown will move from one location to another in order to try and cover the state.