Unless you’ve been cut off from technology for the past few weeks, you’ve likely heard of the I-95 collapse, and the efforts to rebuild the essential part of the road in the Northeast Philadelphia area.
President Biden himself made a trip out to the city and shared just how important this stretch of roadway is to the East Coast: “Over 150,000 vehicles travel on it every day, including 14,000 trucks. … It’s critical to our economy and it’s critical to our quality of life,” AP reported.
But, much like most aspects of the City of Brotherly Love, the way Philly has been handling the circumstances has been quite unique… and always, a little gritty. In true Philadelphian fashion, the city has been dealing with the collapse the best way they know how—with a drink in hand and a community of peers there to witness it all unfold.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, said it best himself: “Folks here in Philly have a real renewed sense of civic pride through this project” and that “there’s something special happening in our community” with people coming together.
For one, some bars have been hosting watch parties with the I-95 livestream in full view.
South Philadelphia’s own mega-sports watching arena, Xfinity Live!, recently posted on its social media pages about its watch party last weekend. The occasion came with 95-cent wing deals and $2.95 Bud Light and Michelob Ultra to pair alongside the stream.
Now, the venue has announced it will be showing the stream “until further notice” with food specials to pair, including their “Beastmode” Burger, Beef Barbacoa Quesadilla Stack, Toasted Ravioli, and the Signature Tower ($50) boasting loaded nachos, beef chili nachos, traditional and boneless wings, home made potato chips with smoked bacon sour cream dip, and cacio e pepe arancini (feeds 4-6).
And throughout the city and even into Delco, it seems that other bars are following suit, with at least one TV screen at most places offering first-hand accounts of the record-time rebuilding.
And what exactly are Philadelphians watching?
An official report from Shapiro noted that Pennsylvania’s plan for the work involves trucking in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets for the quick rebuilding, with crews working around the clock until the interstate is open to traffic. Instead of rebuilding the overpass right away, crews will use the recycled glass to fill in the collapsed area to avoid supply-chain delays for other materials. And then after that, a replacement bridge will be built next to it to reroute traffic while crews excavate the fill to restore the exit ramp, according to officials.
Aside from the live stream, some area restaurants and businesses have also banded together to showcase how to support venues that are directly affected by the closure.
Dagwood’s Pub for one posted on Facebook about which spots could use support, including Mister Chubbys, Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse, Curran’s, City Distilling, Sharkey’s, and Jack’s Place. “Let’s show some love to our friends/neighbors!!” the message read.
Comments have been flooding in with Philadelphians and beyond showing their own support saying most of these spots are “worth sitting in traffic for.”
Even though there have been some hilarious moments and figures to come out from the collapse — who on social media hasn’t heard of the Mayfair Mayor by now? — what I-95 has shown is what the city of Philadelphia tries to do after any setback—rebuild. And even formed from a tragedy, the city itself will do anything to persevere until the road is once again opened, which will likely happen in the next two weeks, or perhaps, a bit sooner.
Live video of the construction work is available online.
