ATLANTA — A big relief is coming to drivers in Midtown Atlanta beginning on Thursday after Atlanta Department of Transportation announced that Cheshire Bridge has officially reopened for drivers.
The widely-used bridge along Cheshire Bridge Road was shut down for the last five months, causing detours and delays after a homeless encampment fire spread out of control and caught the bridge ablaze in December 2023.
Just last week, ATLDOT said they were nearing completion of the bridge and had expected to reopen it on May 27, only needing to finish final details, such as sidewalks, asphalt resurfacing and roadway striping. But officials have exceeded expectations on their completion date.
ATLDOT put out the following video on social media, which shows drone video of the bridge completion:
The bridge had just been reopened earlier in 2023 after being closed for nearly 15 months after a similar fire in 2021.
The reopening should be a relief to residents and businesses in the area, who told 11Alive they have suffered after multiple closures caused traffic challenges for people who live there and cut into their bottom line.