Plan for Philadelphia's I-95 to 'safely and quickly reopen'

FHWA earmarks $3m to help and public transit capacity is boosted 'until further notice'
UTC / June 15, 2023
By Adam Hill
I-95 collapse - Pete Buttigieg and Shailen Bhatt  CREDIT Commonwealth Media Services
US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg (third from right) and FHWA's Shailen Bhatt (far right) survey work on the damaged I-95 (image: Commonwealth Media Services)

Interstate 95 in the US city of Philadelphia is set to be reopened "safely and quickly" after a section of the roadway collapsed following a truck fire last weekend.

South-eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Septa) says it is boosting public transport capacity 'until further notice'.

The highway around the incident - usually a busy section of road - is currently closed in both directions and a number of detours are in operation.

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released $3m to support Pennsylvania DoT (PennDoT)’s "traffic mitigation efforts...and emergency repairs necessary to restore this essential traffic", said US Department of Transportation under secretary for policy Carlos Monje. 

Another $7 million of Pennsylvania state funds have also been earmarked.

Aside from mass transit, alternatives such as car-pooling are suggested for drivers facing delays and detours.

The demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete today (Thursday), which authorities say is "well ahead of schedule".

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said: “Getting I-95 repaired and reopened is our top priority – and we are working our tails off." 

The latest information on I-95 is available here