Sinkhole closes lanes on I-285 exit ramp in Cumberland
Jul. 24—Three lanes on an I-285 exit ramp in Cumberland were closed for repair Friday evening due to appearance of a large sinkhole.
A Georgia Department of Transportation traffic camera captured at 7:30 p.m. an image of a repair crew and heavy machinery working on the sinkhole, which covered three right exit lanes on the northbound off-ramp to Cobb Parkway.
The Georgia Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
Drew Raessler, interim director of the Cobb Department of Transportation, said the state, which maintains the road in question, had one of its contractors handling the repair.
"Cobb County has been assisting with some of the investigation that GDOT's running ... as to the underlying causes (of the sinkhole)," he said.
Early Friday morning, northbound lanes on I-285 in Cumberland were closed and traffic was diverted to the off-ramp onto Cobb Parkway due to a fatal wreck.
Afterward, the three right exit lanes on the off-ramp were closed until just after 3 p.m. Friday for roadwork. At the time, GDOT cited a "road failure" at the off-ramp. It is unclear when exactly the sinkhole opened and the right exit lanes were forced to close again.
Two of those lanes closed in 2018 when a sinkhole opened at the very same location. In that instance, the lanes were closed on a Friday and reopened the next Monday.
