Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (center) takes questions from the media along Cottman Avenue with the closed section of Route 95 behind him in Northeast Philadelphia, PA, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. He announced the plan to reconstruction the bridge after a temporary structure to carry traffic in built. © Thomas P. Costello/USA TODAY NETWORK
Governor Josh Shapiro
(New York, NY) – After a tanker-truck fire closed a portion of I-95 in Philadelphia, officials are laying out an updated timeline for the construction that will aim to fix the situation as soon as possible. It was on Sunday when the intense fire caused a partial collapse of an overpass, which carries I-95 over Cottman Avenue. Now, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says the plan is to demolish the existing structure, and fill it in using backfill.
Once that’s completed, the roadway will be even with the rest of I-95. Then, six lanes will be paved, while a new overpass is built next to where the old one was.
It was last Sunday when the tanker truck crashed and led to the destructive fire. The truck’s driver was killed. He hasn’t been officially identified but family members say it was 53-year-old Nathaniel “Nate” Moody, an Army veteran and father of three.
Federal transportation officials toured the site earlier this week. Secretary Pete Buttigieg says food prices could rise on the East Coast as a result of the I-95 partial closure, given the impact on the supply chain.
