Pedestrian killed in Gwinnett County crash that halted I-85 for hours

An investigation into a deadly pedestrian crash on I-85 caused hours of delays through Gwinnett County for the entirety of the Thursday morning rush.

PHOTO GALLERY: Deadly pedestrian crash on I-85 in Gwinnett County

All southbound lanes were shut down for more than three hours at Boggs Road while authorities were on scene. Even after the lanes reopened at 7:40 a.m., major delays remained from Buford to Lawrenceville, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Authorities first closed the interstate north of the Ga. 316 interchange just before 5 a.m., the Traffic Center reported.

During the shutdown, southbound traffic was being diverted off the Pleasant Hill Road exit onto the access road.

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

At the height of the delays, there were seven miles of bumper-to-bumper backups, and I-85 was a parking lot. Commutes all across the Eastside were impacted as motorists crowded onto surface streets, WSB traffic reporter Mark Arum said.

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

The investigation also impacted Gwinnett County Transit passengers. All express routes were delayed as a result, the agency said in a tweet.

Service alert: all express route's will be delayed, all lanes are blocked due to an accident on Pleasant Hill and 85 South.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
6:08 a.m. 11/7/2019
— Gwinnett County Transit (@gctransit) November 7, 2019