Philadelphia, PA – Yesterday marked 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.
Progress on Interim Repair Continues Over the Weekend
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 fill is complete, eight inches of modified sub-base will be installed, edge and 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 next steps and work continues.
Check out www.pa.gov/I95updates for more information and the 24/7 live feed, as well as a rendering of the project.
Governor Shapiro, Cabinet Members Brief POTUS on I-95 Repair Progress
At the Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday, Governor Shapiro, along with key members of his Cabinet – PEMA Director Randy 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. During the briefing, Governor Shapiro announced that the roadway would reopen within the next two weeks.
I-95 Incident Page and Resources
PennDOT has an I-95 incident page on its 511PA traveler information website where real-time travel times are displayed for the incident detours. Travel times for the northbound, southbound, and global detours are displayed. Users can see traffic cameras, incidents, construction, weather forecasts and alerts, and traffic speeds on the map.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts. Subscribe to PennDOT District 6 news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.pa.gov/District6.
Detour Information & Routes
Southbound I-95 motorists can go as far south as Exit 30 (Cottman Avenue).
Northbound I-95 motorists can go as far north as Exit 26 (Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue).
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)
Additionally, Philadelphia Police will 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, southbound travel only.
- Southbound I-95 detour (local)
- 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 (local)
- 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.
For more on detour routes and related information, visit pa.gov/i95updates.
Regional Alternative Travel Options, Expanded Services
Impacted travelers have alternative options in public transit and ridesharing. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is providing updates to its transportation services. There is available capacity on all service.
Additionally, the Regional Share-A-Ride (SAR) program matches people to others making similar trips. Anyone who signs up can earn points for recording their (non-SOV) trips, including transit, car/van pools, biking, and walking. Points add up for rewards like discounts at restaurants and retail establishments, etc.
Information on SAR and other ride-match programs in NJ, DE, and elsewhere in PA can be found at https://www.dvrpc.org/pacarpool/. Regional transportation management associations can help employers and employees with issues regarding changes in commuting due to this closure. SAR is funded through PennDOT and administered by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
Additional Resources & Information on I-95
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
Follow local PennDOT information on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
