PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 14, 2023 – Governor Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, U.S. Department of Transportation Under Secretary for Policy Carlos Monje, Ryan Boyer from the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, and contractors announced that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete on Thursday – well ahead of schedule – and that the Administration, engineers, and contractors have developed a plan to safely and quickly reopen the roadway.
In consultation with federal engineers from the Federal Highway Administration, PennDOT has hired a contractor – Philadelphia-based contractor Buckley & Company – to backfill the gap in the roadway; so that it can be paved over and reopened safely and as quickly as possible. Once complete, cars and trucks can return to this portion of I-95 as crews work to rebuild a permanent bridge while keeping six lanes of traffic flowing at all times.
A live feed is being set up and will operate 24/7 so the public can watch the rebuilding process in real time. That live feed will be publicly available later this week.
“When I visited this site just a few hours after the fire and collapse, on Sunday, I made it clear that my Administration would lead a coordinated response to reopen I-95 safely and as efficiently as possible,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Getting I-95 repaired and reopened is our top priority – and we are working our tails off. Under the leadership of Secretary Carroll, and with the support of our federal and local partners and the talented trades workers right here in Philadelphia, we are moving full steam ahead. The government is working for the good people of Pennsylvania. We have a lot to do, and together we will get this done.”
As Governor Shapiro has repeatedly made clear, his Administration is all hands on deck to complete this project. For example, on Thursday, the Pennsylvania State Police will escort trucks carrying the backfill material – a specially-designed, Pennsylvania-made glass aggregate – from Delaware County up I-95 to the site to make sure those trucks arrive as quickly as possible.
“There has been tremendous amounts of work occurring with people that are very talented and engineers that are able to design a forward-looking structure that meets the immediate needs of this community, this city, while also making sure that we have a structure that will serve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for decades,”said Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Mike Carroll.
Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll have been in regular communication with President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg – who have pledged the full support of the federal government to provide the Commonwealth with the resources it needs to repair I-95.
“Our Highway Administration has released $3 million , …
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