I-95 Updates

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. Weather permitting, all lanes on I-95 in the area will be open to traffic by 5:00 AM on Friday, May 24, and one lane on the newly constructed ramp from northbound I-95 to Cottman Avenue, just in time for holiday weekend travel.

Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary Carroll led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again. A temporary roadway with six lanes of traffic opened on June 23, 2023, only 12 days after the initial fire and collapse.

The new bridge and ramp replace the ones that were destroyed in a June 11, 2023, tanker truck crash and fire. I-95 traffic was restored to three lanes in each direction after a temporary roadway was constructed in the center of the interstate in just 12 days. The outer sections on the bridge's northbound and southbound sides were rebuilt before I-95 traffic was shifted from the temporary center lanes, onto the completed, outer sections of the new bridge last November.

Traffic shifted from the temporary roadway onto the newly completed outer travel lanes of the new permanent bridge on Interstate 95. Crews will move and reset temporary construction barriers and repaint lane markings before shifting three lanes of northbound vehicles and three lanes of southbound vehicles onto the outer sections of the new span. Following the traffic shifts, the temporary roadway will be removed, and work will begin to build the permanent structure in its place and open the Cottman Avenue off-ramp. The recycled glass aggregate currently used in the temporary roadway will be reused in other projects along the I-95 corridor, including the I-95 Cap project at Penn’s Landing.

Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement is deployed in this work zone. PennDOT reminds drivers to slow down in work zones. 

PennDOT's contractor continued the removal of the compromised concrete to expose the front face of the rebar. New form liners are being assembled for the reconstructed abutment walls. Once the demolition is complete, the abutment walls will be formed and poured. This work is necessary to prepare for the installation of the steel beams.

Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement is deployed in this work zone. PennDOT reminds drivers to slow down in work zones.

The safety of the workers completing the I-95 emergency repairs – as well as motorists traveling through this work zone – is paramount.  Excessive speeding is a contributing factor to work zone crashes across Pennsylvania, and motorists have been consistently traveling 10-15 MPH above the posted speed limit through this work zone.  

Starting the week of July 10th, Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement will be deployed to this work zone.   Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement may be deployed at any time in either direction or both directions of I-95, dependent upon work activity and worker presence.  PennDOT reminds drivers to slow down in work zones.  

To learn more about Pennsylvania's Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program, visit https://workzonecameras.penndot.gov/.

PennDOT's contractor continues hydro demolition removal activities (pictured above) on the bridge's abutments. This work began on June 28 to remove fire-damaged concrete using water pressure. 

Upon completion, the contractor will reinforce and reconstruct the abutments and continue to reconstruct vertically up to the bridge seats. After the bridge seats are reconstructed, the bridge bearings will be installed. 

While this work is ongoing, materials such as steel girders, laminated elastomeric bearing pads, and expansion joint strip seal dams are in fabrication. This work is part of the first stage of constructing the outer three lanes in both directions.

Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll officially reopened six lanes of traffic on I-95 after the deadly fire and collapse of the roadway just 12 days ago. Since the initial collapse, Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll have led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again. The new roadway opened to the public at noon ET on Friday.

Repair progress continues as crews work around the clock after a vehicle fire led to the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The roadway is anticipated to reopen this weekend, as Governor Josh Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll announced in a briefing yesterday.

Crews continue to make headway on the interim roadway, which will open temporary travel lanes on I-95, three in each direction, while work proceeds to rebuild the outer sections of the permanent bridge. Throughout the day, crews placed the final outside and median barriers for the new roadway.

The final layer of the sub-base will be placed today, setting the stage for paving, which is anticipated to begin tonight. Additionally, crews are doing concrete work to reinforce areas of the existing roadway before paving and placing the center barrier. 

Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll announced that I-95 will be reopened this weekend, ahead of the originally projected two-week timeline.

“Based on the tremendous progress these crews made over the weekend and the time it takes to complete the remaining steps, I can now say that we will have I-95 back open this weekend,” said Governor Shapiro. “We have worked around the clock to get this done and 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.”

Under the leadership of Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll, crews have worked around the clock to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible. Thanks to the coordinated partnership of PennDOT, the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the City of Philadelphia, and the hard work of the Philadelphia Building Trades, crews have made fast progress in rebuilding I-95 within two weeks of the collapse – well ahead of experts’ original predictions.

Today marks one week since a vehicle fire led to the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, and thanks to the hard work and dedication of the crews onsite and continued collaboration between state, federal, and local government, the Shapiro Administration expects the roadway will reopen within the next two weeks.

"Our teams are working around the clock to get these repairs done efficiently and safely," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. 

Crews continue to make headway on the interim roadway, which will open temporary travel lanes on I-95, three in each direction, while work proceeds to rebuild the outer sections of the permanent bridge. The process to fill in the roadway in the area of the collapse with a specially designed, Pennsylvania-made recycled glass aggregate is expected to conclude within the next day or two. Once filling is complete, eight inches of modified sub-base will be installed, an edge and the median barrier will be installed, and the transition between the new roadway and existing lanes will be prepped. Paving operations will begin soon after. Equipment is being staged and mobilized for the next steps and work continues.

Today, Governor Josh Shapiro joined President Biden for an aerial tour of the I-95 construction site and briefed him on the Shapiro Administration’s all-hands-on-deck response to get the highway reopened safely and as quickly as possible. During the briefing, Governor Shapiro announced that I-95 will reopen within the next two weeks.

“I can state with confidence that we will have I-95 reopened within the next two weeks,” said Governor Josh Shapiro at the briefing with President Biden at Philadelphia International Airport. “We are going to get traffic moving again thanks to the extraordinary work of those here and our incredible union trade workers.”

After the aerial tour, Governor Shapiro and key members of his cabinet – PEMA Director Padfield, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Chris Paris, and Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll – briefed the President on the initial response, the reconstruction plan, and the continued coordination between all levels of government.

This morning, after the demolition was completed days ahead of schedule, crews began work on building the interim roadway. Significant progress was made throughout the day, as a base of foamed glass aggregate was laid on the roadway to serve as the foundation as crews filled in the gap up to the surface level of I-95. 

“I would describe today as a very productive day, and significant progress will continue the day into the night. You’ll be able to see tangible evidence of our progress,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll in a briefing with reporters this afternoon.

Laborers working for Buckley & Company made significant progress throughout the day, laying an even foundation of Delaware County-made foamed glass aggregate to set the stage for building up the gap to the surface level of I-95.

Crews weren’t even delayed by rain showers and thunderstorms that passed through the area. They worked through the rain – and briefly paused their work as thunderstorms passed through, before resuming shortly thereafter. The backfill material itself – a specially designed, Pennsylvania-made glass aggregate – will not be affected by rain or inclement weather during construction.

Tomorrow, Governor Josh Shapiro will brief President Biden on the response to the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia and discuss the continued coordination between local, state, and federal partners in the ongoing repair process. The Governor will also take part in an aerial tour of the I-95 site with the President.

Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is complete – days ahead of schedule. This comes as the Shapiro Administration coordinates directly with city, state, and federal partners to reopen the road safely and as efficiently as possible. 

On Wednesday, Governor Shapiro detailed his Administration's plan to rebuild I-95 safely and efficiently – including the critical goal of completing the demolition ahead of schedule.  As a result of Secretary Carroll’s leadership and the 24/7 work on the ground, this demolition has been completed well in advance of initial projections. 

Now that demolition has been completed, Philadelphia-based Buckley & Company will begin to fill in the damaged area to rebuild the new section of road on top. PennDOT employees and contractors will continue to work 24/7 to complete this work safely and efficiently so the roadway can be reopened as quickly as possible.

At the June 14 site visit and update, Governor Shapiro said there would be a 24/7 live feed of the construction site “to chart our progress and give everyone a sense of timing as we move forward.” The Governor promised the live feed would be up by the end of the week – but as the Shapiro Administration works to move as quickly and efficiently as possible, the live feed is up and running ahead of schedule. 

Additionally, today PennDOT published an I-95 incident page on its 511PA traveler information website, displaying average, real-time travel times for the incident detours. Travel times for the northbound, southbound, and global detours are displayed. Users can see incidents, construction, weather forecasts and alerts, traffic cameras, and traffic speeds on the map. 

Governor Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, U.S. Department of Transportation Under Secretary for Policy Carlos Monje, Ryan Boyer from the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, and contractors announced that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete on Thursday – well ahead of schedule – and that the Administration, engineers, and contractors have developed a plan to safely and quickly reopen the roadway.

In consultation with federal engineers from the Federal Highway Administration, PennDOT has hired a Philadelphia-based contractor Buckley & Company contractor to backfill the roadway gap so that it can be paved over and reopened safely and as quickly as possible. Once complete, cars and trucks can return to this portion of I-95 as crews work to rebuild a permanent bridge while keeping six lanes of traffic flowing at all times.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Philadelphia to visit the incident site (videos and photos). Secretary Buttigieg and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll (pictured below) surveyed the damage and provided an update on the speedy removal of debris from the site and efforts to rebuild I-95 safely and as efficiently as possible.

The Shapiro Administration, the City of Philadelphia, and other partners provided a status update on the incident. Detours, demolition, transportation options, and more were included.

Governor Shapiro signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency (PDF) following the collapse of the I-95 overpass in Philadelphia.

PennDOT and our partners are working to respond to the partial collapse of Interstate 95 between Exits 30 and 32 in Philadelphia. The interstate is still closed in both directions in this area. Demolition of the collapsed bridges has begun and detours are in place. The most up-to-date detour information can be found at www.pa.gov/i95updates. 

We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, state and local law enforcement, our federal partners, and other stakeholders,  and will share more information as it becomes available.

Governor Shapiro, officials from the Shapiro Administration, the City of Philadelphia, and SEPTA provided an update on the response to the I-95 incident. Video of the briefing can be accessed here.

The City of Philadelphia has a blog page with updates in regards to the incident. 

PennDOT has primary detour routes in place in the area:

• I-95 Southbound: Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 South, 76 East, 676 East
• I-95 Northbound: I-676 West, I-76 West, U.S. 1 North to Route 63 East (Woodhaven Road) 

Philadelphia Police have the following closures and detours in place if you are traveling on I-95 in the area of the Cottman Avenue exit. Police will be located along the detour route.

Expect delays along the detour and note these are subject to change.

• Castor Avenue on-ramp for I-95 northbound
  • Closed
• Aramingo Avenue/I-95 on and off-ramps
  • On-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
  • Betsy Ross off-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
• Bridge Street ramp
  • I-95 on-ramp at Bridge Street closed.
  • All traffic on Tacony Street will flow northbound only from Bridge Street to New State Road.
    
• Tacony Street and Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
  • Tacony Palmyra Bridge traffic onto Tacony Street is closed. All traffic continues westbound onto Levick Street.
• Cottman Avenue exit and State Road closures
  • State Road from Cottman Avenue to Longshore Avenue will be one-way, soonly be one-way, southbound travel-95 detour
  • Exit I-95 southbound at Cottman Avenue.
  • At the end of the ramp, right on Bleigh Street.
  • Follow Bleigh to State Road, and make a left onto State.
  • Travel State Road South to Longshore Avenue.
  • Re-enter I-95 southbound at State Road and Longshore Avenue.
• Northbound I-95 detour
  • Exit I-95 at Aramingo Avenue.
  • At the end of the ramp, make a left onto Aramingo Avenue.
  • Follow Aramingo Avenue to Tacony Street. Turn right.
  • Take Tacony Street northbound around the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge loop to New State Road. Continue northbound.
  • Travel New State Road to Milnor Street and re-enter I-95 northbound.
    

The Philadelphia Police Department is providing on-site access to local businesses near the I-95 bridge collapse for all employees, customers, and deliveries. If your business is experiencing access problems due to local road closures or detours, contact the Department of Commerce Office of Business Services by calling 215- 683-2100 or emailing business@phila.gov. Commerce is working with the Philadelphia Police Department to assist local businesses.

The Shapiro Administration, the City of Philadelphia, and other partners provided a status update on the incident. Detours, demolition, transportation options, and more were included.