All lanes on I-95 in northeast Philadelphia will be open to traffic by 5 a.m. Friday, as well as one lane on the newly constructed ramp from northbound 1-95 to Cottman Avenue, just in time for holiday weekend travel.
PennDOT Secretary Mike B. Carroll was joined by Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt and other officials today to commemorate the completion of the permanent repairs to I-95, less than a year after a fire last June caused the roadway to collapse.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Carroll led a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way, PennDOT said. A temporary roadway with six lanes of traffic opened on June 23, 2023, 12 days after the fire and collapse.
“Today serves as another example to all that Pennsylvania can do big things,” Carroll 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 new bridge and ramp replace the ones destroyed by the tanker truck crash and fire. 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.
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.
“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.”
In a statement released after the event, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said, “Today in Southeastern Pennsylvania, we can officially put the I-95 bridge collapse behind us. All levels of government collaborated to deliver the funding and resources to reopen the interstate. Construction crews worked around the clock to get traffic flowing again in just 12 days. Thanks to hard work and persistence at every level, from the White House to the building trades, Philadelphians and everyone traveling through the region can have full access to this critical route once again.”
Casey toured the disaster site immediately following the collapse on June 12 and saw the progress made alongside President Joe Biden on Saturday, June 17.
Casey said he worked with his colleagues in the Pennsylvania congressional delegation to deliver $3 million in emergency funding from the Federal Highway Administration to assist the reconstruction efforts. In January 2024, he helped to secure $22 million to support ongoing efforts to fully replace the lanes on I-95, he said in his statement.
“ As we officially re-open I-95 today, the Parker Administration is proud that the partnership displayed between PennDOT, the Biden Administration, as well as my own c ity departments, not only weathered the calamity of the I-95 collapse, but we have established a model for the coordination of infrastructure projects that yields the results all Philadelphians expect and deserve,” said Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director Mike A. Carroll. “Mayor Parker has made it clear that intergovernmental cooperation is a top priority since it maximizes resources from all levels of government and residents benefit from those collaborations.”
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