Three lanes of I-95 will open in each direction after crews built up the ground at the site of the Cottman Avenue bridge collapse. I-95 traffic backup in Virginia during winter storm followed hours Busy I-95 collapsed in Philadelphia: Full rebuild to take 'months' Gernay said in both cases, contractors had to work ahead of schedule due to the "economic impact of traffic interruption." First published on June 12, 2023 / 12:32 PM. A version of this story also appears in the Climate is Everything newsletter. WebSunday. Traffic barely moves in a neighborhood near an elevated section of Interstate 95 that collapsed, in Philadelphia, Monday, June 12, 2023. IE 11 is not supported. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney told people on Twitter to avoid the area and plan for alternative travel routes, and he thanked first responders for their work. If there is massive expense, inconvenience, and tragedy (the remains of the truck driver, 53-year-old Nathaniel Moody, were identified by his family June 12) involved in the disaster, there was a touch of irony too. The National Transportation Safety Board, which was investigating the fire and highway collapse, said it would issue a preliminary report in two to three weeks. The sudden cave-in of part of the busy highway that runs along the East Coast from Florida to Maine created an immediate traffic nightmare for drivers. A similar highway collapse in Atlanta in 2017 took about six weeks to repair. Officials say driver lost control of gas-filled tanker before fire 5:45 p.m. Monday: VDOT issues a news release saying northbound I-95 at Exit 140 is cleared and reopened. June 13, 2023 / 2:03 PM Person airlifted to hospital following crash on I-95. The posted speed limit on I-95 in the vicinity of the crash was 55 mph, and the Cottman Avenue off-ramp was posted with a 25 mph speed limit and truck rollover warning sign," NTSB said. A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Agency directed questions to local officials. Early on, investigators said they had some indicators that something was wrong, according to sources. A tanker truck fire closed seven miles of I-95 in both directions indefinitely Sunday after an elevated portion of the heavily traveled interstate collapsed in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, raising concerns about travel headaches across the Northeast corridor. Corresponding elevated southbound lanes were found to lack structural integrity, prompting closure of the entire freeway, he said. "I found myself thanking the lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died. Support her work and become asubscriber. ABC News' Teddy Grant and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference with local and state officials on Sunday. Workers inspect and clear debris on Monday from a section of bridge that collapsed on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. Shapiro said Sunday night he planned to issue a disaster declaration Monday to speed up federal funds. PENNSAUKEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The reality of the collapse on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia is still setting in for many drivers across the Delaware Valley. The driver died in the crash and a section of I-95 was shut down. The Coast Guard sent a boat to the scene to examine the impact on the water, but it seems no gasoline has made it to the Delaware River. Body recovered after truck crash caused inferno that toppled part Crews have extinguished the fire, but there is some runoff from possible fuel or gas lines. Shapiro speaks about Route 95 collapse in northeast Philadelphia, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. A GPS tracking system in the truck went off-line, disappearing from tracking screens at roughly the moment of the explosion. President Joe Biden was briefed and has been in touch with Shapiro and the Philadelphia mayor's office, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File). "The I-95 corridor is a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and FHWA has offered support and assistance to state and local officials to help them safely reopen this section of I-95 as quickly as possible," a spokesperson for the FHA said in a statement. The northbound section collapsed, but the southbound span has also been deemed "I'm going to have to leave earlier, a lot earlier," said Brew. collapse All northbound lanes between Exit 25 at Allegheny Avenue and Castor Avenue and Exit 32 at Academy Road and Linden Avenue are currently shut down, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The latest: Virginia clears icy roads amid questions about hours-long backup on I-95. He added that he and Lt. Gov. The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene the night of the crash, collecting information about the truck and talking with the company and emergency responders in order to understand the sequence of events. Transitioning to electric vehicles is not without risk, but compared to the enormous costs of our current reliance on fossil fuels, it is a key part of building a cleaner, smarter transportation system for the future.. Shapiro to offer any assistance that USDOT can provide to help with recovery and reconstruction," he tweeted. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. AAA officials recommend leaving extra time. "The roadway is gone," unnamed officials told NBC Philadelphia. The cause of the fire is unknown, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told ABC News. I-95 collapse I-95 collapse I-95 collapse The truck tipped and exploded, setting off a fire that melted the support structure of the road above, causing it to collapse. All traffic on Tacony Street will flow northbound only from Bridge Street to New State Road. The road closures will likely morph into a traffic nightmare for commuters and those seeking alternative travel routes. I-95 is closed between Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue, according to state transportation alerts. The New Jersey Department of Transportation says it's working closely with PennDOT and monitoring traffic on New Jersey roads. 1:52. "I've been in touch with [the Federal Highway Administration] and spoke with Gov. Officials are treating the accident as a hazmat situation. Please enter valid email address to continue. The roadway will take months to repair, Shapiro said on Sunday. NTSB releases preliminary report for the safety investigation involving a gasoline tank truck and the collapse of an I-95 overpass in Philadelphia on June 11: https://t.co/ng1nidjvrY. Transportation Sec. Images on local news and social media showed black smoke billowing from the area. I-95 bridge collapse: What happened, detour maps, and what Heat from a fire underneath a bridge, which is generally not designed for fire exposure, can quickly weaken structural members, according to Gernay. A spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation said that its officials are "actively engaged" in the response to the incident. Police asked news crews to not livestream helicopters overhead while investigators sifted through the wreckage in search of human remains, which were recovered Monday afternoon. WebAuthorities said it happened after a tanker truck caught fire under it around 6:45 a.m., but there are still so many questions. Join her on the Facebook groupDelaware Voices Uplifted. The highway is completely collapsed on the northbound lanes, while the southbound lanes are compromised, Bowmer said. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly I-95 collapse The fact that the collapse happened on a Sunday helped ease congestion, but he expected traffic to back up significantly on all the detour areas. Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Michael Carroll said the I-95 segment carries roughly 160,000 vehicles per day and was likely the busiest interstate in Pennsylvania. The highway segment is closed indefinitely but Rudolph said officials would consider "a fill-in situation or a temporary structure.". Where was the I-95 collapse? I-95 collapse June 13, 2023 A section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia collapsed on Sunday after a fiery crash involving a tanker loaded with gasoline. I-95 rebuild in Philadelphia: Map, timeline, everything we know Bowmer said runoff from the fire or compromised gas lines caused explosions underground. A video a driver posted on social media early Sunday appeared to show plumes of black smoke rising above the highway. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital A tanker truck fire shut down I-95 in both directions after an elevated portion of the heavily traveled interstate collapsedin Philadelphia on Sunday morning, state officials said, raising concerns about possible travel headaches throughout the Northeast. He also said Moody had been doing the same fuel delivery route every Sunday morning for several years. A body has been recovered from among the wreckage of Sundays Interstate 95 collapse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State Police told CNN on Monday afternoon. The Eastern Transportation Coalition, a partnership of 17 states, says the roadway and its associated corridor, which reaches from nearly the tip of Florida to the Canadian border, carries nearly $200 billion in goods and services related to ports along the route. The Coast Guard contained the material by deploying a boom. Officials urged Philadelphians to avoid the area and plan on alternate routes for Mondays morning commute as they work out a plan for temporary detours and added public transportation options. A 2013 derailment in Quebec killed 47 people and destroyed 40 buildings. The storm, which dropped about 12 inches of snow in the area beginning Monday I-95 collapse in Philadelphia: What we know about the tanker truck City Of Philadelphia Office Of E/via Reuters. Shapiro speaks about Route 95 collapse in northeast Philadelphia. Detour routes for I-95 south are Route 63 west (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 south, I-76 east, I-676 east. Closure of the highway caused two weeks of traffic chaos in the region. More than 1,000 people have returned to their homes in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale after firefighters declared a brush fire to be 30% contained. Runoff from fuel or gas lines from the burning truck has also caused explosions underground, Philadelphia Fire Capt. Shapiro said the tanker was carrying some kind of petroleum product. A body has been recovered from among the wreckage of Sundays Interstate 95 collapse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State Police told CNN on Monday afternoon. Police say a strong explosion has hit a building in Paris Left Bank, leaving at least 24 people injured. The driver, who was killed in the crash, exited I-95s northbound lanes at Cottman Avenue on a curved off-ramp that was posted with 25 mph (about 40 kph) speed limit and truck rollover warning signs, officials said in the report. The I-95 in Philadelphia. An elevated section of northbound lanes in northeast Philadelphia collapsed, trapping the tanker truck and whoever was inside beneath 500 tons of concrete, steel and rubble, at about 6:20 a.m. Sunday. HANOVER, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia State Police said a person was airlifted to the hospital following a crash on Interstate 95. Please enter valid email address to continue. Health officials will determine the environmental impact. In 2007, the MacArthur Maze connecting ramp in Oakland, California, collapsed after a tank truckcarrying 8,600 gallons of unleaded gasoline overturned. I-95 collapse Mark Fusetti was driving south toward the citys airport when he saw black smoke rising above the highway. A disaster declaration will be made Monday, Shapiro said, allowing the state to quickly tap federal funds and start rebuilding the roadway. Collapsed section of I-95 will take months to repair - NPR The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the fire closed all lanes between Exit 25 and Exit 32, which includes Allegheny Avenue, Castor Avenue, Academy Road, and Linden Avenue. Sources told CBS News Philadelphia that the tanker, which was carrying gasoline en route to a Northeast Philadelphia gas station, failed to properly navigate an I-95 off-ramp at Cottman Avenue and State Road. He said he had spoken with Buttigieg and was assured that there would be "absolutely no delay" in getting federal funds to safely reconstruct what he called a "critical roadway. I-95 collapse A tanker fire caused part of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse, June 11, 2023. Some New Jersey drivers say they noticed extra traffic to start the work week. Interstate 95 is the main north-south highway on the East Coast and stretches from Florida through Maine to Canada. hide caption. The fire took about an hour to get under control. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Shapiro issued statements saying that they are closely monitoring the accident. "That stuff only happens in like disaster movies," said Kevin Brew. Philadelphia residents should use regional public transits services, such as rapid transit, commuter rail or light rail, the city's Office of Emergency Management said. RELATED: Best detours to avoid Philadelphia I-95 bridge collapse road closure. ", The governor confirmed the northbound side of the interstate completely collapsed and the southbound side is not structurally sound.. I-95, of course, is a critical roadway, Shapiro said. A body was found Monday under a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that collapsed a day earlier after a gasoline tanker caught fire beneath an overpass, / CBS Philadelphia. Firefighters work near a section of I-95 in Philadelphia that collapsed Sunday following a vehicle fire. June 13, 2023 / 2:03 PM / CBS Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Steel and concrete rubble are most of what remains after a tanker truck caught fire Sunday There was a very, very slight sheen in the sort of entry area of the waterway, Shapiro said. agencies as part of I-95 N&S is closed. Tanker truck fires carry a large amount of hydrocarbon fuel and can generate a "fast, intense release of heat," said Dr. Thomas Gernay, an assistant professor of civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University who studies ways to protect structures from fires. On the ground, news crews are only allowed to get so close to the scene. The very thing that brought the overpass downgasolineis what keeps the cars that rely on it running. It continues to investigate the crash and collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board is also expected to arrive at the scene at some point Monday, as well. See what the collapsed section of I-95 looks like | CNN This tanker crash is just the latest example of the risks of relying on fossil fuels, says Jordan Brinn, a policy advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Officials say so far they don't see significant impacts to bridge traffic and will continue to monitor the situation. Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, photo shared by the city's Office of Emergency Management. I-95 bridge collapse happened after driver lost control, Firefighters work at a collapsed portion of Interstate 95, caused by a large vehicle fire, in Philadelphia on Sunday. The city also posted information online informing drivers about closures and detours in the area of the collapse. And obviously, with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, its going to be even longer than that," said Dominick Mireles, director of the Philadelphia OEM. If you doubt that, consider what happened on June 11, at 6:15 a.m., when the driver of a tanker truck filled with gasoline lost control of his vehicle after taking an exit ramp below Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and struck a wall. The Pennsylvania State Police said the body found in the wreckage was turned over to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office for identification. The truck, which was a combination vehicle composed of a truck tractor and a tank trailer, was hauling 8,500 gallons (about 32,200 liters) of gasoline from Wilmington, Delaware, to a gas station located on Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia, according to the report. I-95 I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died, Shapiro said. "Our office has contacted the DOT to make sure our voices will be heard on this," said Moen. The family was asked to submit dental records to positively identify the remains as investigators continue working to find the cause of the fire. City and state officials are "responding to address impacts to residents in the area and travelers affected by the road closure," the state fire department said in a statement to USA TODAY. Part of I-95 collapsed Sunday in Philadelphia. Officials said there had been no impacts on the city's drinking water supply. A short time later, a trucking company also called state police to inquire about the whereabouts of the driver and truck. Part of the overpass collapsed as a result and the interstate was closed in both directions as of Monday morning. Air quality alerts remain in effect across Delaware Valley, More charges filed after group attacks teen in Delco, From winless to state champs: Philly girls rugby team makes an impact. A gas station, which has not publicly been identified yet, also called state police to say their gas delivery never made it, sources said. Our immediate priority is to assist people with their commutes and ensure they have the information and resources needed to safely reach their destinations. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Several lane closures were in place due to the crash. "We have fire coming out of those manholes," he said. "This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete," Buttigieg tweeted. Driver Lost Control of Tanker Truck on off Ramp Before I-95 The internal combustion engine is, by its very design, built around a series of tiny explosions that take place inside its cylinders. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was in Philly Tuesday to visit the crash site. Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to offer federal support and assistance. President Joe Biden was also briefed on the collapse and officials offered assistance to local and state authorities, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. An interim six-lane roadway was constructed in less than two weeks, with crews working around the clock to get traffic flowing again on what is a heavily traveled section of the East Coasts main highway. I-95 collapse: Completion of permanent bridge still remains unclear, Contact Us / Closed Captioning Information, Public File for KYW-TV / CBS Philadelphia. What We Know About the I-95 Collapse in Philadelphia "This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete," he said. The collapse occurred near the Cottman Avenue exit of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia. It noted two single 2023 www.delawareonline.com. 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. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the federal government would provide any resources it can to help with the recovery effort and the rebuilding process. The driver was unable to keep control of the vehicle, and it rolled over and caught fire. Expect major traffic delays due to I-95 collapse in Other videos posted to social media show large plumes of dark smoke hanging over the highway. State Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said the segment of freeway carries roughly 160,000 vehicles a day and is most likely the busiest interstate in Pennsylvania. And according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2020, there were 5,949 tanker truck accidents, ranging in severity from fatal or injury-causing to requiring a mere towaway. A tanker fire caused part of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse, June 11, 2023. It was operated through an affiliate carrier leased to Penn Tank Lines. It was unclear what caused the vehicle fire. While the tanker truck had a capacity of 8,500 gallons, Ensign Joshua Ledoux said contents from the fire did not appear to be spreading into the environment and "it seems like things are under control.". A general view shows the partial collapse of Interstate 95 after a fire underneath an overpass in Philadelphia, June 11, 2023. AERIAL VIEW OF DAMAGE:Gov. Chopper 3 was over the scene Monday, where you could see the charred remains of the I-95 overpass that collapsed. Derrick Bowmer told reporters. A spokesperson for the state police said in a statement that the agency is working with Philadelphia police to control and reroute traffic. "It took me about 45 min to 50 mins just to get out of Blackwood to get to Pennsauken on a different route," said Mikael Maculewicz. Motorists should avoid the northeast corner of the It supports our economy and plays an important role in folks everyday lives.. We will be here for a while, he said. The fire was still smoldering but otherwise under control, they said. "The challenges will be real when it comes to traffic movements in the city," Pennsylvania's Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said at Sunday's press conference. The tanker truck was said to be holding thousands of gallons of gasoline. All rights reserved. Interstate 95, the main roadway between the East Coast's two largest cities, New York City and Philadelphia, will be closed for months after a tanker fire caused a I-95 reopens in Virginia after winter storm forced closure that According to NOAA, a boom is a "floating, physical barriers to oil, made of plastic, metal, or other materials, which slow the spread of oil and keep it contained.". On Monday afternoon, PennDot Secretary Mike Carroll said that the bridge on southbound I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia is compromised and will have to be As commuters try to figure out how to get to their destination, it's expected that many will cross a bridge into the Garden State to use one of the highways that run parallel to 95: I- 295, the New Jersey Turnpike or Route 130. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is coordinating with Pennsylvania State Police in an investigation of the cause of the fire. Moody's death was ruled an accident by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, adding that the 53-year-old died due to blunt trauma of the head, inhalation and thermal injuries. More than 1,100 people remain evacuated from their homes as Arizona fire officials determine if a containment line will hold up in windy conditions. The damaged I-95 segment carries about 160,000 vehicles daily, state officials said. Mark Makela/Getty Images
