ATLANTA — Roads around Cheshire Bridge are closed after a fire got out of control at a homeless encampment, according to authorities on Wednesday.
Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department said the bridge looks compromised, but officials are still determining the damage. Currently, Cheshire Bridge Road between Faulkener and Wellbourne Drive is closed.
Traffic is continuing to build in the area; 11Alive Traffic Expert Crash Clark said to use Piedmont Avenue or Lenox Road to get around. Authorities have not reported any injuries and said they don't know when roads would be open.
Several detours are currently in effect due to the closure. You can find the full list of alternate routes and directions to take below:
Cheshire Bridge Road detours
Piedmont Ave NE northbound
- Continue north past Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
- Turn right onto Lindbergh Way NE eastbound
- Lindbergh Dr. NE intersects Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Piedmont Rd NE southbound at Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
- Continue south past Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
- Turn left onto E Morningside Dr. NE eastbound
- Continue eastbound as E Morningside Dr. NE becomes E Rock Springs Rd NE
- Turn left onto Johnson Rd NE northbound
- Turn left onto Lenox Rd NE northbound
- Lenox Rd NE intersects Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Piedmont Cir NE eastbound at Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
- Turn left onto Piedmont Rd NE northbound
- Turn right onto Lindbergh Way NE eastbound
- Lindbergh Dr. NE intersects Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Cheshire Bridge Rd NE southbound at Lindbergh Dr. NE
- Turn right onto Lindbergh Dr NE westbound
- Turn Left onto Piedmont Rd NE southbound
- Piedmont Rd NE connects to Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Cheshire Bridge Rd NE southbound at Woodland Ave NE
- Turn left onto Woodland Ave NE eastbound
- Turn right onto Lenox Rd NE southbound
- Turn right onto Johnson Rd NE southbound
- Turn right onto E Rock Springs Rd NE westbound
- Continue westbound as E Rock Springs Rd NE becomes E Morningside Dr. NE
- Turn right onto Piedmont Ave NE northbound
- Piedmont Ave NE connects to Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Woodland Ave NE westbound
- Turn right onto Cheshire Bridge Rd NE northbound
- Turn left onto Lindbergh Dr. NE westbound
- Turn left onto Piedmont Rd NE southbound
- Piedmont Rd NE connects to Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Lavista Rd NE westbound
- Continue west past Cheshire Bridge Rd NE onto Lindbergh Dr. NE
- Turn left onto Piedmont Rd NE southbound
- Piedmont Rd NE connects to Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Wellbourne Dr. NE northbound
- Turn left onto Cheshire Bridge Rd NE westbound
- Turn right onto Piedmont Rd NE northbound
- Turn right onto Lindbergh Way NE eastbound
- Lindbergh Dr. NE intersects Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
More on Cheshire Bridge Road
The bridge reopened earlier this year after being closed for nearly 15 months due to a fire in 2021.
Just like in 2021, residents who live close by said they believed the fire started at a homeless encampment under the bridge, so we went to take a look.
Alex Hines lives next to Cheshire Bridge Road, where the fire erupted overnight. Hine said for months, he has been reporting activity under the bridge, hoping to prevent a fire similar to the one that occurred in 2021, but his complaints went unanswered.
"There’s always debris down there, and just because it is so close to the building, I'm afraid it’s going to catch my building on fire, so I’ve sent so many emails to the city, but they’ve all kinda gone ignored. They just close out our ticket every time I put them in," Hines said.
So 11Alive took an exclusive look under the bridge to see the fire hazard. 11Alive crews saw a lot of debris and what appeared to be a makeshift apartment -- equipped with walls. Those who frequent the areas said this is just a fraction of the activity they've seen under the bridge.
"I’ve seen people camped out on the railroad. I’ve seen fires started before, people throwing things at the trains, and I thought at the very least CSX railroad would be interested," resident Stephen McBride said.
However, McBride said his complaints to the railroad company also went unanswered.
For now, the normally busy road remains closed as officials asses the damage and determine if the bridge is safe to drive on-- an inconvenience to those who live close by.
"It’s concerning and also just really stressful, especially considering the bridge just reopened after a few years of being out of commission. I think it might be closed again," resident Eilish McNonogh added.
Officials said they are not done with their assessment and will continue to evaluate the damage before they can determine if and when the bridge can reopen.