UPDATE: PennDOT confirmed with NBC10 that I-95 will reopen to traffic on Friday at noon. New details HERE.
What to Know
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says traffic will be moving on Interstate 95 again this weekend. Shapiro on Tuesday lauded the around-the-clock work of crews on the stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway.
- A section of the northbound lanes of the elevated highway in northeast Philadelphia collapsed early June 11 after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped over on an off-ramp and caught fire.
- State transportation officials said the driver, who was killed, lost control around a curve. The resulting damage necessitated demolition of the southbound lanes as well, officials said.
The temporary lanes that promise to reopen Interstate 95 just about two weeks after it collapsed during a fiery, deadly crash, appeared to be closer to being ready Thursday.
The live feed supplied by PennDOT showed what appeared to be black asphalt laid down on top of the filled-in hole Thursday morning.
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A worker at the site confirmed to NBC10 that two layers of asphalt had been put down and that one more layer was needed before three lanes of road in each direction of I-95 would be ready to reopen.
By early Thursday afternoon, it appeared that another layer of asphalt was being laid down as crews worked amid some dry conditions with the threat of more rain in the days ahead.
The around-the-clock work to get traffic moving again on I-95 has been livestreamed as crews filled the collapse site with a temporary fill. Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced the road would be ready about two weeks after the collapse. The highway originally collapsed on June 11.
“Traffic will be flowing here on I-95 this weekend,” Shapiro said.
The repaving progress seems to be in line with Shapiro's claim.
On Wednesday, PennDOT said that besides the paving, "crews are doing concrete work to reinforce areas of the existing roadway prior to paving and placing the center barrier."
Racing against weather to get I-95 ready
Rain in the forecast in the days ahead adds an element of uncertainty, however, the race is on to keep things dry.
The closing steps to the rebuild are getting help thanks to NASCAR's Pocono Raceway. The race track tweeted that it is sending its jet dryer to the I-95 construction site to be on standby if needed for line painting.
Shapiro explained the need for the device: "To rebuild I-95 on time, we need 12 hours of dry weather to complete the paving and striping process." The first-term Democrat said the jet dryer helps to "keep us on schedule."
The air dryer could be seen next to a sports car on the livestream in the early afternoon.
Pennsylvania’s plan for a quick interim fix has involved trucking in 2,000 tons of lightweight recycled glass nuggets to fill in the collapsed area, avoiding supply-chain delays for other materials, officials said. After that, a replacement bridge will be built next to it to reroute traffic while crews excavate the fill to restore the exit ramp, officials said.
Less than 2 weeks of detours
In the aftermath of I-95 being closed in both the northbound and southbound directions, drivers have dealt with detours and delays while dignitaries, including President Joe Biden, have visited the site and pledged for funding to fix the road.
“We have worked around the clock to get this done, and we’ve completed each phase safely and ahead of schedule. That’s all due to the incredible coordination with our local, state, and federal partners – and thanks to the hard-working men and women of the Philadelphia Building Trades who are making this happen," Shapiro said Tuesday.
Nathaniel Moody died in the June 11 crash after his tanker truck crashed and caught fire under the I-95 overpass.
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