A week after parking deck collapse, Summerhill Publix to reopen

Publix announced Friday evening that the store would reopen Saturday at 7 a.m. after being given the OK by experts hired by the retail center’s owner and the city, as well as outside engineering consultants.

“The parking structure has been deemed safe after being evaluated by engineers from Branch Properties, the City of Atlanta and a non-affiliated, third-party engineer,” a spokesperson for Publix said.

The collapsed area of the parking deck is still closed for repairs. The shopping center is south of downtown near the former Turner Field, which is now know Center Parc Stadium.

The collapse of the top floor of the Summerhill Station parking deck, which is anchored by a Publix Super Market, located on Hank Aaron Drive created a giant hole around 7 a.m. According to Branch Properties, which is the company that owns the retail complex, an “unauthorized person unaffiliated with ownership drove a crane truck onto the upper level of the deck past the weight-limit warning signs.”