Philadelphia officials say that it could take “months” to fix the repairs on Interstate 95 after a truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire beneath the overpass on Sunday morning, causing it to collapse.
“With regards to the complete rebuild of I-95 roadway, we expect it to take some number of months,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Sunday, adding that he plans to issue a disaster declaration to “expedite this process” and “immediately draw down federal funds.”
Shapiro claimed to have spoken with Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, who gave him the assurance that there would be “absolutely no delay” in receiving federal funding for the “critical roadway’s” safe and prompt reconstruction.
According to Shapiro, officials are looking at “interim solutions to connect both sides of I-95 to get traffic through the area.”
WPVI reported that the lanes between the exits for Philadelphia’s Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue are closed in both directions indefinitely.
Shapiro added that the southern lanes of the impacted portion are “not structurally sound to carry any traffic,” while the northbound side “completely collapsed.” One car is still buried beneath the damaged roadway.
“We are still working to identify any individual or individuals who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse,” he said, before later clarifying that no one was injured or killed.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that inspectors from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation determined that the southbound portion cannot be reopened and will also need to be replaced.
Despite ongoing inspections, the report stated that the overpass’s deck is no longer structurally sound.
A sheen was seen on the water of a nearby cove of the Delaware River, which flows for 282 miles along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Gasoline from the tanker truck has also spilled into storm drains.
According to the report, the U.S. Coast Guard is on the site and will keep collaborating with the Philadelphia Water Department to look for any more potential environmental effects of the fire on the important waterway.
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