I-95 will open this weekend in Philadelphia, Shapiro says
About two weeks after a section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia, the heavily trafficked freeway should reopen to traffic.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday that three lanes in each direction will reopen this weekend, about a week ahead of the originally projected timeline, and well ahead of the initial opinions given immediately after the collapse.
Shapiro said crews have worked around the clock, demolishing sections and then repairing the interstate. He praised the work ethic of the Philadelphia Building Trades union workers, as well as the coordination with local, state and federal partners.
“When the eyes of the nation were on this site, we rose to the occasion,” he said.
On June 11, a tanker truck caught fire underneath a section of I-95 in North Philadelphia, causing crews to close off the interstate. Eventually, the section under the tanker truck collapsed. The driver of the tanker perished in the flames.
Traffic snarled in Southeastern Pennsylvania following the collapse. Interstate 95 is one of the most traveled roads in the nation.
Crews took four days to demolish a section of the interstate following the collapse, according to the governor. Over this past weekend, they filled the gap underneath the interstate with ultra-lightweight foamed glass aggregate. This week, crews will be paving the replacement roadway.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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