When will I-95 reopen in Philadelphia? Here’s what we know.
When will I-95 reopen in Philadelphia? Here’s what we know.
I-95 will reopen in Northeast Philadelphia ahead of schedule, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on Tuesday.
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Last week, a tanker truck explosion caused a portion of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia to collapse, killing the driver and closing the busy highway in both directions.
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When will I-95 reopen in Philadelphia?
When will I-95 reopen in Philadelphia?
Cottman Ave. exit will remain closed
Full reconstruction of I-95 in Philadelphia will take months
Where is I-95 closed in Philadelphia?
Livestream of construction at I-95 collapse site
Reconstruction efforts won’t stop another I-95 project
Now, with crews working around the clock (and having their efforts livestreamed), I-95 is on the verge of reopening to traffic over six-lanes of temporary highway built on a bed of recycled glass bottles repurposed as gravel.
“We haven’t always had a can-do attitude around here, that we can get big things done, that we can get it done quickly and safely,” Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters Tuesday. “We’re going to change that attitude of people being surprised to folks expecting excellence from us.”
Here’s what we know about the timing of construction at the I-95 collapse site:
When will I-95 reopen in Philadelphia?
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On Tuesday, Shapiro announced I-95 would reopen in both directions by this weekend.
The highway will reopen with six lanes of temporary pavement — three lanes each way — resting on a bed of recycled glass aggregate made of discarded bottles turned into a lightweight, gravel-like material.
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The material has been used to backfill several other Philadelphia-area projects, including an overnight parking apron for airplanes at Philadelphia International Airport.
“It’s safe, it’s sound, it’s ready to go to work,” PennDot Secretary Mike Carroll said Tuesday.
The temporary reconstruction of the northbound lanes appeared to be nearly complete Wednesday morning, and work on the southbound lanes was expected to continue throughout the day. Once finished, crews will pave all six lanes, followed by painting and striping.
Here’s a rendering provided by PennDot of what the temporary fix will look like.
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“Everyone has worked around the clock to get this done. We have completed each phase of this project safely and way ahead of schedule,” Shapiro said at a news conference in Philadelphia Tuesday.
Cottman Ave. exit will remain closed
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Even after I-95 reopens this week, the Cottman Avenue exit from northbound I-95 will remain closed as crews work to fully reconstruct the highway, according to PennDot.
It’s unclear if any other ramps in the area of the collapse site will remain closed to traffic once the temporary lines of the highway reopen later this week.