Workers and city officials gathered at the scene where I-95 collapsed earlier this summer to announce progress on a permanent fix for that stretch of road.
Crews are now moving into a new phase of work after they installed 100-foot beams to hold the bridges on the north and southbound sides of the highway this week. Eight beams were installed, and eight more will be put in place this coming month, Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation said Thursday.
Currently, cars are driving over a temporary fill made of recycled glass aggregate that was put in place to get traffic moving again after the collapse. That will remain in place until the outside sections of the new bridge are completed later this year, officials said.
Transportation Secretary Michael Carroll told reporters that the temporary fill has been tested regularly and it hasn't moved at all.
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Secretary Carroll also said they have learned in working with the Philadelphia Water Department that some facilities under Cottman Avenue were damaged and need to be repaired.
Once the new bridge is completed, traffic will be shifted to the completed overpass sections while the center section is constructed in 2024, the department said.
"We expect these two bridges to be completed this fall so that we can move the traffic from the temporary roadway onto the two new bridges and then begin the deconstruction of the temporary roadway," the secretary said.
The I-95 overpass collapsed in June after a tanker crashed and caught fire.
Officials say they plan to reuse the recycled glass aggregate when it's removed from the bridges to use in another project along 95.
To learn more about the replacement of the Cottman Avenue overpasses, visit PennDOT’s I-95 Cottman Avenue Updates page.
