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Transportation Secretary attends ribbon-cutting ceremony for bridge reopening

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will be in Atlanta on Thursday to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly reopened I-85 bridge.
 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly reopened I-85 bridge on Thursday.

The ceremony was held at the site of the collapse, but officials didn't have to close to roads to hold it. Instead, it was held under the bridge.

Gov. Nathan Deal and Georgia Department of Transportation officials presented contractor C.W. Matthews with a plaque for a job well done.

Chao said that crews should be commended for completing the job quickly.

Original estimates by the Georgia Department of Transportation had the bridge reopening by June 15. As round-the-clock construction and repairs continued, the bridge’s revised repair deadline moved to Memorial Day.

The man accused of setting the fire that caused the bridge's collapse, Basil Eleby, goes on trial next month.

PHOTOS: Basil Eleby in court

Eleby is charged with first-degree arson and criminal damage to property in the March 30 incident. Authorities accuse Eleby of putting a chair on top of a shopping cart and setting it on fire while smoking crack cocaine.

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