Emergency roadwork will slow traffic on I-95 in South Philly until Friday

Expect some slowdowns driving along Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia for the next few days as crews work to repair an exposed gap in the roadway.

What appeared to be a crack was actually a missing metal plate cover that came off the I-95 southbound elevated lanes near Tasker Avenue, PennDOT spokesperson Brad Rudolph told NBC10's Brian Sheehan.

The metal plate was found about 50 yards down from where it should have been, Rudolph said while speculating that it was most likely knocked off by a passing vehicle.

Rudolph said crews would need to return to the site for at least the next three nights to fix the exposed gap. Drivers should expect the two right lanes to be closed from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Wednesday, July 19 to Friday, July 21.

PennDOT said the right two lanes on southbound I-95 needed to be closed Wednesday morning in order for crews to cold patch the area, providing a temporary fix to allow all lanes of traffic to reopen.

Crews could be seen blocking two lanes and the right shoulder as cars passed on the left around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

When will the problem be fixed?

After crews work to repair the exposed gap in the lanes through Friday, July 21, the gap should be fully repaired.

The road should remain safe to drive on during the repairs, Rudolph said while noting the repair is overall a minor one.

The goal is ultimately to get traffic flowing again as quickly as possible, Rudolph said.

When did this happen?

A neighbor who lives near the highway told Sheehan that you could hear major banging sounds throughout the night, causing him to have trouble sleeping. He then called PennDOT around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

He later saw police rush down his street around 9:30 a.m. and start blocking off some of the area.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as information becomes available.