Less than a year.
That's how long it took construction crews get Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia back to normal after a fiery tanker truck crash caused part of the busy highway to collapse.
Officials gathered Thursday, May 23, 2024, near where permanent repairs were made to the highway -- just in time for the busy Memorial Day weekend.
"Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll was joined by Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, and other officials to commemorate the completion of the permanent repairs to I-95 in northeast Philadelphia, less than a year after a fire last June caused the roadway to collapse," PennDOT said.
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“Today serves as another example to all that Pennsylvania can do big things,” Carrol said. “Thanks to the dedication of the workers and incredible coordination between the Shapiro Administration, our federal partners, and the City of Philadelphia, traffic flowed freely on I-95 throughout construction and we were able to restore the roadway to full capacity less than a year after the tragic fire and collapse.”
The center section of the I-95 bridge and northbound Cottman Avenue off-ramp reopened this week.
"The new bridge and ramp replace the ones that were destroyed in a June 11, 2023, tanker truck crash and fire," PennDOT said. "I-95 traffic was restored to three lanes of traffic in each direction after a temporary roadway was constructed in the center of the interstate in just 12 days. The outer sections on the northbound and southbound sides of the bridge were then rebuilt before I-95 traffic was shifted from the temporary center lanes, onto the completed, outer sections of the new bridge last November."
Four southbound lanes were reopen by Thursday morning, with four more regular lanes reopening by the Friday morning commute.
“Thanks to the tireless work of local, state, and federal partners, and union crews working around the clock, we are thrilled to celebrate the complete re-opening of I-95 in Philadelphia,” Bhatt said. “The Biden-Harris Administration committed to do everything possible to help Pennsylvania reopen this highway as quickly as possible. Today’s opening is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and resolve to keep one of our nation’s busiest highways open for the traveling public.”
A single lane also reopened on the newly-constructed ramp from northbound I-95 to Cottman Avenue by Friday morning.
"The ramp will have enhanced traffic safety measures such as new signage and High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST)," PennDOT said. "HFST is a treatment added to the top of a road surface that creates more friction on the pavement, helping keep vehicles in their lane and improving stopping distance around curves or other locations where wet pavement may contribute to crashes. HFST is a FHWA Every Day Counts innovation that Pennsylvania has implemented across Pennsylvania with data showing that the treatment decreases fatal and injury crashes where it is installed."
Basically, things will return to normal (that includes traffic jams) to what it was like at the Cottman Avenue interchange before June 11, 2023, but with new safety measures in place.
A truck driver died in the crash that caused a section of I-95 to collapse.
It initially took only 12 days of crews working around the clock to backfill the Cottman Avenue interchange to get temporary lanes built so traffic could flow again on I-95.
"We demolished a roadway, we rebuilt I-95 in just 12 days," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said back in June of 2023. "Through that process we showed the nation what Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are all about."
"When we work together, we can get s*** done here in Pennsylvania." the first-term Democrat said with a smile. "We sure can."
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