I-95 in Philadelphia is expected to reopen within two weeks, the governor says

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Saturday he was “confident” that the portion of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that collapsed last weekend will open within the next two weeks.

“We’re going to get traffic moving again,” Mr. Shapiro continued Twitter, which attributes an “all hands on deck” approach. He had initially said he expected repairs to take months.

Sunday’s crash of a truck carrying gasoline sparked a fire that left part of the north side of the highway in ruins and so badly damaged the southern section that it was demolished this week. Local officials are working with the federal government to rebuild the roadway.

Before the collapse, that stretch of the highway, in northeast Philadelphia near the Delaware River, was used by about 160,000 vehicles a day, officials said, though much of the interstate traffic traveling through the region was already bypassing Philadelphia using of the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs roughly parallel to I-95 east of the river.

In an effort to alleviate traffic problems, officials have added extra cars to commuter trains, arranged diversions and offered free parking in some public transit lots.

On Saturday, President Biden took a helicopter ride over the collapsed section of highway and met with construction crews and emergency responders responding to the crash. Mr Biden said people were working to get the project done “in record time” and that I-95 was critical to the local economy and quality of life.

He added that the federal government had released $3 million in emergency funds to offset the cost of repairs and that “much more” federal funding was to come.

“I grew up not far from here,” Mr Biden said. “I know how important this stretch of highway is, not just to Philly, but to the entire Northeast Corridor and to my home state.”

The crash occurred when a truck, carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline, landed on its side, rupturing the tank and igniting the fire, officials said.

On Tuesday, authorities identified the driver as Nathan Moody, 53.

Amanda Holpuch, Campbell Robertson and Jon Hurdle contributed reporting.