BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

I-95 lanes partially collapse in Philadelphia after truck fire

  • A massive concrete slab fell from I-95 onto the road below
  • Governor: "I found myself thanking the Lord no motorists were injured, died
  • Officials: A full rebuild could take months

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

Testing widget old system

Lorenzo shared

PHILADELPHIA (The Hill) – Northbound Interstate 95 lanes partially collapsed in Philadelphia Sunday after a truck caught fire under the highway, authorities said. Now, city officials said a full rebuild will take months.

Video from the scene showed a massive concrete slab had fallen from I-95 onto the road below, trapping at least one vehicle underneath.

Officials said there were no injuries or fatalities at a Sunday press conference.

“Remarkable devastation and I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on 95 were injured or died. Just a remarkably devastating sight,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.

The northbound lanes of I-95 were gone, and the southbound lanes were “compromised” due to heat from the fire, said Derek Bowmer, battalion chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

The fire was caused by a petroleum-based product that the truck was carrying, Shapiro announced at a press conference following the collapse.

The truck crashed on a ramp underneath northbound I-95 around 6:15 a.m., causing the fire. The northbound section above the fire collapsed quickly, state Transportation Department spokesman Brad Rudolph said.

Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management said in a tweet Sunday morning that all lanes of the interstate were closed in both directions due to “fire/road collapse” between Woodhaven and Aramingo exits.

The agency tweeted earlier Sunday that all lanes in the area were closed due to a “large fire.”

“All lanes on 1-95 are shut down in both directions nearing Cottman Avenue exit due to large fire. Smoke is visible. Avoid 1-95 approaching Northeast Philadelphia and expect delays,” the office tweeted.

The Total Traffic and Weather Network of Philadelphia warned that the incident could cause a “large volume” of traffic, advising drivers to take alternate routes.

“The fire has caused major structural damage to the highway, so expect it to be closed for a very long time,” the network tweeted.

The collapsed section of I-95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that wrapped up four years ago, Rudolph said. There was no immediate time frame for reopening the highway, but officials would consider “a fill-in situation or a temporary structure” to accelerate the effort, he said.

The governor said he will make a disaster declaration on Monday, hopefully setting federal funding in place to help with the cleanup and rebuild.

Members of the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) will conduct an investigation to determine why the tanker truck caught fire.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Northeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

63°F Cloudy Feels like 63°
Wind
0 mph ESE
Humidity
85%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
62°F Cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph E
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous