{"id":18386,"date":"2023-06-19T12:28:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T19:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/collapsed-stretch-of-interstate-95-in-philadelphia-to-reopen-within-two-weeks-governor-says\/"},"modified":"2023-06-19T12:28:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T19:28:29","slug":"collapsed-stretch-of-interstate-95-in-philadelphia-to-reopen-within-two-weeks-governor-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/collapsed-stretch-of-interstate-95-in-philadelphia-to-reopen-within-two-weeks-governor-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to reopen within two weeks, governor says"},"content":{"rendered":"

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PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks, Pennsylvania\u2019s governor said Saturday, after joining President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical segment of the highway closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are getting it done here in Philly,\u201d Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a briefing at Philadelphia International Airport after the flyover that included members of Congress and the city\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n

Biden outlined the substantial initial federal commitment and longer term support for a permanent fix for the vital roadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how important this stretch of highway is\u201d to Philadelphia and the Northeast Corridor, he said. \u201cOver 150,000 vehicles travel on it every day, including 14,000 trucks. It\u2019s critical to our economy and it\u2019s critical to our quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shapiro, offering a timeline that would be welcome news to commuters and long-haul truckers alike, said with Biden at his side: \u201cI can state with confidence that we will have I-95 reopened within the next two weeks. We are going to get traffic moving again thanks to the extraordinary work that is going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said \u201cfolks here in Philly have a real renewed sense of civic pride through this project\u201d and that \u201cthere\u2019s something special happening in our community\u201d with people coming together.<\/p>\n

The stretch of the East Coast\u2019s main north-south highway collapsed early last Sunday after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped over on an off-ramp and caught fire. State transportation officials said the driver was trying to navigate a curve and lost control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve directed my team\u2026to move heaven and earth to get this done as soon as humanly possible,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n

He said he told the governor, \u201cThere\u2019s no more important project right now in the country as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president described it as an \u201call hands on deck\u201d project to address a \u201ccrisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re with you. We\u2019re going to stay with you until this is rebuilt, until it\u2019s totally finished,\u201d he said at the briefing.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s plan for the work involves trucking in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets for the quick rebuilding, with crews working around the clock until the interstate is open to traffic. Instead of rebuilding the overpass right away, crews will use the recycled glass to fill in the collapsed area to avoid supply-chain delays for other materials, Shapiro has said.<\/p>\n

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 have said.<\/p>\n

Biden said the design was \u201cincredibly innovative in order to get this work done in record time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the area Tuesday, promised that the federal government would provide the needed assistance to repair the destruction, although he warned that the wreckage will likely raise the cost of consumer goods in the short term because truckers must now travel longer routes.<\/p>\n

Joining Biden on the presidential Marine One helicopter were Shapiro, Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and Rep. Brendan Boyle and Mayor Jim Kenney, all Democrats. Later Saturday, Biden was to attend a 2024 campaign event with union workers at the convention center.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n