The section of I-95 that collapsed earlier this month following a tanker truck fire in Northeast Philadelphia will reopen this weekend, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday.
Shapiro, after a helicopter tour of the site Saturday with President Joe Biden, had said that the interstate would reopen “within the next two weeks.” But that timeline has been accelerated, given the pace of work over the past couple days, the governor said.
“This weekend, you’ll have less time in traffic and more time with family and friends,” Shapiro said. “This weekend, our commuters will finally be able to set their Monday morning alarm clocks back to the regular time because they won’t have to spend extra time in detours.”
No exact reopening time was provided, with officials saying that it will hinge partially on the weather, which affects when the new lanes can be paved.
Cranes were in the area Tuesday to lift the outer barriers of the new roadway into place. A base material will be added to secure those barriers, Shapiro said. Then, crews can begin paving and striping the surface.
Workers, who have been at the site 24/7, filled the gap in the highway with thousands of tons of recycled glass nuggets manufactured by a Delaware County-based firm.
“That glass aggregate is not new,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll told reporters. “It’s been used in Pennsylvania for seven or eight years. It’s underneath I-95 in various sections already.”
Each panel of glass aggregate weighs around 13,000 pounds – much more than an average vehicle, he added. Carroll said he has “100% confidence” in its ability to hold up when traffic begins flowing again.
Once the interstate reopens, attention will turn to building a permanent overpass alongside the temporary lanes, officials said. Six lanes of traffic will remain open at all times while the process is ongoing, Shapiro said.
No timeline has been provided for that project. In the meantime, the Cottman Avenue exit from northbound I-95 will continue to be closed.
On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Transportation Committee advanced legislation extending Shapiro’s I-95 disaster declaration until June 2024. The resolution must still be approved by the full House and Senate.
Voters in 2021 approved a measure stipulating that lawmakers must approve any declaration that lasts more than 21 days, a GOP response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency orders related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The disaster protocol has allowed the state to access $7 million for the rebuild and bypass the bidding process and other procedures for construction contracts.
The collapse has disrupted commutes throughout the Delaware Valley and pushed traffic onto smaller streets in Northeast Philadelphia, particularly in the Tacony and Holmesburg neighborhoods.
Drivers heading south from Bucks County and the Far Northeast must get off at Cottman Avenue, while those in the northbound lanes can only go as far as Aramingo Avenue.
SEPTA has increased service and capacity on its Trenton Line and added train cars to the Fox Chase and West Trenton lines.
The northbound lanes of the overpass collapsed early on the morning of June 11 after a tanker carrying gasoline crashed and ignited a fire. Crews finished demolishing the compromised southbound lanes last week.
Authorities believe Nathan Moody, a driver for Penn Tank Lines, lost control of his tractor trailer as the vehicle was coming around a bend at the Cottman Avenue exit. Moody died at the scene, and the National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the crash.
