Major US highway could take months to repair after collapse
Drivers face extended commutes after part of one of the East Coast’s largest transportation routes shrank and fell.
The collapse of a major highway has led to traffic congestion that could affect transportation routes in the eastern United States.
Drivers had to make an extended commute Monday after a tanker truck caught fire and damaged a section of I-95 Interstate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. resulting in the temporary closure of one of the busiest routes in the area.
“This will really have a ripple effect across the region,” Jana Tidwell, a spokesperson for the American Automobile Association (AAA), said Monday.
Officials have said it could take several months to repair the stretch of I-95 that collapsed Sunday morning. A traffic map from local news channel 6abc Action News Philadelphia showed traffic coming to a near standstill in some areas.
SEPTA is operating more frequently to help support the city and region’s travel needs following the collapse of I-95 on Sunday.
This includes additional service on the Trenton Line. [1/3] pic.twitter.com/EUAJz5AGbY
— ISEPTAPHILLY (@SEPTAPHILLY) June 12, 2023
The Interstate is the main north-south highway on the East Coast and runs from Miami, Florida, to the Canadian border in the northern state of Maine. About 160,000 vehicles use the currently closed section of the highway every day.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has urged residents to seek alternate routes, take public transportation or work from home if possible. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it has increased capacity to help additional commuters in the region.
Shapiro said he would make a disaster declaration on Monday, making federal funds available for repair work.
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said federal authorities are working with the state to repair the road.
“This is going to be a major disruption in that region,” Buttigieg said, noting that the timeline for those repairs was “definitely not days.”
Officials say the very busy stretch of I-95 will be unusable for at least months. https://t.co/Y05OpHhKEC
— Action news on 6abc (@6abc) June 12, 2023
“I mean, if it’s weeks, we’re not talking about a few,” he said, adding that supply chains could also be affected.
There were no deaths or injuries from the highway collapse.
Shapiro said the scene was one of “simply remarkable devastation” and added that, during a flight over the site, “I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists on I-95 were injured or died.”