ATLANTA—Atlanta made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week when the northbound lane of Interstate 85 collapsed after a fire under the bridge. The section that connected the hot commercial real estate markets of Midtown and Buckhead were interrupted.

According to a study completed by INRIX, a transportation consulting firm, Atlanta has the fourth-worst traffic in the United States, with commuters losing an average of 70.8 hours to congestion on an annual basis. Based on observed traffic patterns on the day immediately after the collapse, says a CBRE report authored by Southeast research director Dan Wagner and Southeast research manager Brian Reed, it is not hyperbole to expect Atlanta's congestion to immediately be worse than any other market in the country.

“More than 250,000 vehicles per day traverse this major interstate artery. Atlanta is infamous for its traffic gridlock in the Southeast and the loss of a major transportation corridor will only expand its reputation,” they wrote. “While implications to commuters are front-of-mind, it is important to note that Atlanta is also a critical distribution hub for the entire country with over 400 million square feet of warehouse space occupied by users that rely heavily on the existing road network. While many commuters can offset the loss of infrastructure through telecommuting, there is no way to soften the blow for industries that rely on local trucking.”