Atlanta’s traffic woes are hardly newsworthy, but last week’s I-85 bridge collapse is resulting in traffic headaches that could cause local businesses and the logistics industry to suffer millions of dollars in business interruption losses over the next several months. I-85 is a “critical artery” for transportation through the heart of both Atlanta and the Southeastern region, and the Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that approximately 250,000 vehicles traveled over this now-collapsed, 100-foot portion of highway daily. While local authorities are beginning to open surface streets near the collapsed bridge, unfortunately, there are few good detour options for local residents and businesses located in the immediate vicinity of the collapse. Around Atlanta, traffic is being rerouted to surface streets or directed to loop around the city, resulting in overloaded highways and increasingly longer commutes. While a bridge collapse on I-285, Atlanta’s “Perimeter” highway, may have been even more disastrous for the logistics sector, the I-85 closure is also costing shipping and logistics industries, as they are finding it difficult to make local deliveries and experiencing significant delays from all of the rerouted traffic. Mayor Kasim Reed has called this a “transportation crisis," and Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency.vii And unlike the 2014 “Snowpocalypse,” which crippled the city for about 48-hours until the 2 inches of ice and snow melted, officials are projecting the bridge repair will not be complete until at least June.

The I-85 bridge collapse in Atlanta is a good reminder that commercial insurance policies can be a valuable asset to protect against business interruption losses when a crisis impacts the critical infrastructure upon which your business depends. Even if your business is located hundreds of miles away from a disaster impacting a key supplier, your insurance policy may help protect losses to your business’s supply chain if a catastrophe like a bridge collapse, explosion, fire, or service interruption prevents your supplier from carrying out its business operations as planned. In a similar vein, shipping and logistics companies may have insurance policies that protect against business interruption losses incurred when such a catastrophe impacts their routes, shipments, and operating costs. As outlined below, the wording of your policies can make or break coverage, and careful procedures for documenting your losses are critical to maximizing your business’s ultimate insurance recovery.