Why the I-95 collapse will mean tough commuting for workers, travelers

A tanker truck fire shut down 7 miles of I-95 in both directions after an elevated portion of the heavily traveled interstate collapsed in the Tacony section of Philadelphia on Sunday morning, state officials said, raising concerns about travel headaches throughout the Northeast corridor.

The fire caused a partial collapse of a portion of I-95 north on the Route 73/Cottman Avenue ramp and it compromised the southbound lanes leading into Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.

As of Sunday afternoon, the highway remained closed from the Allegheny and Castor Avenue exits to Academy Road and Linden Avenue exits, just outside Bensalem.

“I-95 will be impacted for a long time, for a long time,” said Philadelphia managing director Tumar Alexander in a Sunday morning briefing.

Interstate 95 is the main north-south highway on the East Coast and stretches from Florida through Maine to Canada.

It is also a popular route used by Philadelphia area residents who work and vacation in Delaware and New Jersey raising concerns about traffic impact on alternate roads in the weeks and months ahead. By Sunday afternoon, motorists were reporting backups on the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey.

In a tweet, PennDOT reported it is actively engaged in the response to the fire and collapse and Gov. Josh Shapiro said he and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis are closely coordinating with state and federal partners.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he is closely monitoring the fire and collapse on the highway and he has been in touch with Federal Highway Administration and spoke to Shapiro to offer any assistance his department can provide with recovery and reconstruction.

Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were establishing new detour routes on Sunday.

But there is going to be no easy workaround with millions of drivers who use I-95 daily.

Commuters who opt for Route 130 or Interstate 295 in New Jersey will compete with shore traffic and the Route 1 highway is currently undergoing multiple construction projects. PennDOT is also urging people to consider using public transit.

What is the current situation on I-95?

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said all lanes between Exit 25 and Exit 32 remain closed, which includes Allegheny Avenue, Castor Avenue, Academy Road and Linden Avenue.

Philadelphia Fire Department Capt. Derek Bowmer said emergency crews responded shortly before 6:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a vehicle on fire on the interstate. It was determined Sunday afternoon the vehicle was a tanker truck carrying gasoline.

As of Sunday afternoon, authorities have not released information about injuries or deaths involved in the fire or collapse, or how the tanker truck caught on fire and if other vehicles were involved.

Guidance for commuters and visitors

Closures may change as the response continues. Travelers are encouraged to follow local news and PennDOT’s Twitter account or website (www.511pa.com).
Travelers should expect delays and plan alternative travel routes, especially while planning for their weekday commute.
Residents in some areas should expect delays in trash and recycling collections. The Philadelphia Streets Department is assessing which areas will be impacted as sanitation trucks will have to be diverted to alternative travel routes.
Residents are encouraged to use SEPTA as an alternative means of travel. In Bucks County, SEPTA has the Regional Rail Lines R7 and R3 into Philadelphia.

SEPTA is working on service plans in anticipation of higher volume on its system. SEPTA CEO Leslie S. Richards, will release the latest information at a Sunday press conference with Gov. Shapiro, a spokesperson said.

SEPTA is urging existing customers and those who will now be considering public transportation to check for updates online at SEPTA.org and on Twitter @SEPTA. The Customer Service Call Center (215-580-7800) will open at 6 a.m. for individuals who want to speak to representatives.

The transit agency announced Sunday afternoon that buses along Routes 70, 78 and 84 will be detoured until further notice. For more information on those detours, go to septa.org/realtime/status

Detour routes

As of Sunday afternoon, PennDOT had released these two alternate routes for getting around the I-95 collapse.

I-95 south: Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 south to I-76 east, then get on Route 676 east and merge into I-95 south.
I-95 north: I-676 west to I-76 west, take Exit 304B for U.S. 1 north to Route 63 east (Woodhaven Road) and head east, which goes around I-95 north of the collapse.

Stay informed

Residents should keep up to date on the situation. Here are places you can learn more about what’s going on: Follow the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Twitter.

Suburban commuter worries

On Sunday Newtown Township resident Maureen Gross was already hoping that her Camden employer will allow work-from-home. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long few months of commuting, she anticipated.

“It’s going to drastically change my commute, on top of a not-so-great commute to begin with,” she said.

Gross said she likely would take I-295 or the Burlington Bristol Bridge, then shoot down Route 130, but either way it’s going to add at least a half-hour to her travel time, she said.

This won’t be the first time that an I-95 disaster has impacted her work commute.

In 1996 she was commuting to work in Delaware when a tire fire in Port Richmond resulted in severe structural damage to a portion of I-95, leading to a temporary closure, followed by lane limits that lasted for months during reconstruction.

The Great Tire Fire of 1996

It was March 13, 1996, when at least 10,000 tires illegally stored were set on fire in a 500-square-foot lot near a Port Richmond garage resulting in a fire that spread to the nearby Philadelphia Tire Disposal Co. and burned for five hours.

The eight-alarm fire substantially weakened 1 mile of the overpass, and PennDOT had to order scaffolding to support the highway. The highway was closed for eight days, and when it reopened, it was only at half capacity.

Authorities learned a stockpile of tires that Bucks County ordered relocated from Quakertown was illegally stockpiled near the dump site.

Seven teens were charged with the arson, but the dump’s owner, Chalfont resident Daniel J. Carr, a used tire dealer, received the stiffest penalty.

Carr, who ran Tire Technology in Richland Township and operates an auto service shop in Quakertown, was found guilty of risking a catastrophe, criminal conspiracy and illegal dumping. He was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay the city $3 million in restitution.

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Why the I-95 collapse will mean tough commuting for workers, travelers

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