East Coast travelers looking to head into Philadelphia this summer — especially to celebrate the upcoming July Fourth holiday — should make travel plans well in advance and expect heavy traffic following Sunday’s I-95 collapse.
The elevated section of highway collapsed early Sunday morning after a truck carrying gasoline caught fire beneath it. Four northbound lates fell onto Cottman Avenue in the city’s Tacony neighborhood, shuttering the interstate in both directions between Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue.
Local officials said steel girders — which support the beams that hold up the highway — were weakened in the blaze. The interstate closure could last months.
While traffic in the city was impacted immediately following the collapse and subsequent road closures, the full picture of the incident’s aftermath is still unfolding.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Monday offered detours to avoid the shutdown areas of the interstate. But it remains unclear whether this will also have an impact on summer tourism — both in Philadelphia and in Delaware.
Fourth of July impact
Jana Tidwell, AAA’s public affairs manager, said those who don’t use I-95 to commute daily can still expect to be affected by the closures, saying the traffic buildup “will have a ripple effect throughout the region” this summer.
As a result, AAA suggests motorists, especially those who are heading into Philadelphia for upcoming events or holidays, to “think outside the box” and plan in advance.
She suggested using New Jersey to get into Philadelphia — navigating from Pennsylvania into New Jersey, then coming back into Philadelphia at a point further south on I-95.
Regarding the July Fourth holiday, which falls on a Tuesday, Tidwell said she believes the issue will be more for those traveling from outside the area. Last year, AAA reported that nearly 48 million people across the U.S. traveled for the Fourth of July.
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“Those local people know about the closure, they will have advanced warning, they will know to come up with their reroute,” she said. But, she added, folks “who may not be paying attention to what’s happening here in Philadelphia” may have a more frustrating time navigating the roadways.
Philadelphia is known for its large holiday celebration, complete with concerts, fireworks and festivals. The Wawa Welcome America July 4th Fest actually kicks off on June 19 with Juneteenth celebrations and spans through Independence Day with many festivities that draw visitors from all over to the city.
Still, Tidwell said its “way too soon” to tell whether the closure will significantly impact holiday travel on a widespread scale.
“It will definitely impact in terms of time needed to circumvent the closure, but whether it will deter people in general from not making a trip, I think it’s too early to tell,” she said.
Impact on Delaware beaches
The collapse is likely to have less of an effect on summer tourism travel in Delaware, given much of The First State’s summer destinations are located in Sussex County.
For those in the Northeast planning to head to the Delaware Beaches or the Maryland Shore, cutting through New Jersey will likely be the best bet.
Both the Jersey Turnpike and I-295 are the best options, as they bypass Philadelphia completely. The two Jersey roads merge just before the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which becomes I-295 in Delaware.
From there, motorists can hop on Route 95 south and exit onto Route 1 south, the only major throughway to the beaches.
Vacationers coming from northern Pennsylvania will likely want to take I-496 down, which connects to I-95 in the Chester, Pennsylvania area. Pennsylvania residents east of Allentown who are traveling to the Delaware beaches or Maryland Shore likely won’t have their route affected.
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Late last year, Delaware State Parks reported that they reached a record of nearly 8 million visitors across all the parks. That’s a 57% increase in visitors over the last decade.
While New Castle County is home to most of Delaware’s state parks, the Sussex County parks, such as Fenwick Island State Park or Cape Henlopen State Park, accounted for the majority of those nearly 8 million visitors.
Inevitably, some tourists headed to the Delaware beaches will be affected by the I-95 closure.
But, Tidwell said, “we’re all in the same boat.”
“This is going to be a frustrating situation,” she said. “We ask that people just give themselves plenty of extra time, allow people to merge to navigate and be patient out there with fellow motorists.”
Contact Konner Metz at kmetz@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @konner_metz. Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_.
